ARNAUT DANJUMA
Relegated from the PL with Bournemouth to shining in the Champions League as Villarreal were 45 mins away from the UCL final, Danjuma was the key man racking up goals and assists in his breakout campaign. Now whilst there's so much talk about Barca, Arsenal and Chelsea wanting Raphinha - I can't believe it's only West Ham interested in Danjuma. He's reportedly told Villarreal to listen to offers and is open to a move back to the PL, for half of what Raphinha would cost.
But, reports suggest that talks have broken down after Moyes was concerned if Danjuma was the right fit, whatever that means? Danjuma has the ability to get this West Ham attack to hit another gear and to show Bowen & Rice that West Ham is where they should commit their future.
modern fowards
If you've been keeping up with this series on Reddit then you know how we bang on about the modern forward being able to start the attack on the front foot by pressing, tackling or blocking passing lanes. Now Emery sometimes did give Danjuma the task of marking the opposition 6 to make it difficult for them to get on the ball, and he did press in the UCL games but for the most part he was hanging onto the shoulder of the last defender, waiting for a turnover in possession to be released quickly on the transition. The numbers most certainly reflect that.
passing & dribbling
We just mentioned that Danjuma looks to be on the last line of the defence and doesn't get involved in the build up at all. In fact, he is the one on the end of chances rather than looking to create. And so, it's reflected in his passing stats. He doesn't have an amazing range of passing, but it's nowhere near as bad as the stats suggest.
Now I promise West Ham fans that this will get better but statistically, his dribbling isn't incredible. I'm sure a lot of fans have seen a video on Twitter go viral where he absolutely toys with his fullback on international duty for Holland and he is definitely a player with the ability to beat his man. The lovely thing about Danjuma is that he can go inside or outside, he can do the reverse Robben or go towards the by line and create for others. His skill lies in dribbling but his excellence lies in off the ball movement.
off the ball
So we mentioned that Danjuma plays on the last line of the defence and looks to get in behind, to see how little he truly gets involved in other parts of the pitch we can look at his touches.
And then to understand how he fits into the Villareal system, we can look at the type of passes he receives and where, by examining his carries.
Those two images really show how Emery has made him a dangerous weapon in transitional play. He is on the end of progressive passes, into the space behind the defensive line and carrying the ball into the penalty area, he is always one of the most forward players on the pitch and stays high and wide until he's ready to spring into action.
Now we get to why West Ham need this guy, and he is TRULY exceptional at off the ball movement. In fact, his movement is so good that his initial run will render the full back (FB) he is up against useless. Looking at the tactical image below, you'll see two Danjuma's (don't worry, his fullbacks have the same problem):
BEFORE he receives the ball: Danjuma will look to beat his FB and take him out the game by either attacking the channel between the centre back and FB or by going wide. The FB will be nervous and would ideally like to get closer to him which allows Creswell, in this situation, to hit the ball into that zone and him to run onto. He will be looking to do this all game and will wear the FB down, and only needs him to switch off for a minute/be out of position to be punished. Danjuma has a lovely touch and is always able to take the ball in stride and not allow the attack to slow down. He will then carry the ball into the box.
AFTER he receives the ball: The CB will rush out to meet him to try and slow the attack down but by this time it's too late, you may as well pick up the ball and put it on the centre circle to kick off again. Because that off the ball movement has taken out one FB, made the CB break the defensive shape and isolated his other two defenders. Just look at the defensive line. We mentioned before, Danjuma can do what he likes. He can either (YELLOW) go inside and whip a dangerous ball into Antonio or Bowen to run onto or (GREEN) cut inside and shoot.
The combination of speed, intelligence and finishing makes him a scary problem for the opposition. He does what Heung Min Son does so well for Tottenham, but obviously Son is far more clinical and well rounded. But it gives you an idea of what he can bring to West Ham.
west ham
Last season, Antonio went through long dry spells and Bowen really carried the team. He was still able to manage 10 goals and 10 assists which is rare in football but the lack of another goalscorer hurt their Europa League campaign and their charge in the league table for Europa League this season. Adding Danjuma will create havoc, West Ham still play on the counter with teams giving them a lot of space to attack. Bowen on one side and Danjuma on the other is a very scary proposition that will decimate defensive back lines and hurt the bigger teams.
You also have the issue of Rice, and maybe Bowen, having their heads turned and wanting to go elsewhere. Aguerd was a good signing to partner Zouma, but add Lingard and Danjuma to this attack and you can show them that West Ham is the club they want to carry on their career with. I'm hoping someone can send this to David Moyes because the thought of Rice/Cresswell releasing Bowen or Danjuma in behind is salivating. One will get in behind and the other will score and teams won't be able to stop it happening, but they need the passing range of Rice to make it happen.