West Ham target Saman Ghoddos might have surprised scouts in Arsenal clash

HITC – GLASGOW, West Ham United were reportedly watching Saman Ghoddos at the Emirates on Thursday.

Arsenal could be seeing a lot more of their Europa League tormentor Saman Ghoddos in the near future.

Because the Iranian international centre-forward looks very likely to be swapping Sweden for England during the summer transfer window. According to ESPN, five Premier League clubs – West Ham United, West Brom, Southampton, Leicester and Brighton – all sent scouts to watch the Ostersunds forward at the Emirates on Thursday.

And they might have been surprised by what they witnessed.

Ghoddos has developed a reputation as one of the most impressive goal-scorers in Scandinavian football, but he showed another side to his game against Arsene Wenger’s bedraggled Gunners.

He set up both the goals in one of the Europa League’s biggest ever shock wins, rolling a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Hosam Aiesh for 1-0 before firing a pinpoint diagonal to the feet of Ken Sema, who duly smashed in the second.

Ghoddos was a threat all game but with his deliveries into the box rather than his own attempts on goal. Clearly, he is not an out-and-out goalscorer, much more than that in fact.

That suggests the likes of West Ham, Southampton and West Brom, who could all do with a prolific striker, would be signing a multi-faceted centre-forward capable of creating goals as well as putting chances away himself.

Ostersund chairman Daniel Kind told Fotbol Direkt back in October that Ghoddos would not be leaving for less than £4.6 million and his value has probably increased again since.

But if West Ham can sign Ghoddos for less than £10 million, they could still have pulled off a bargain.