It’s official: Scamacca signs
The 23 year old former Sassuolo front man has agreed a five year deal with an option – usually of two years but not formally revealed – of five years. The fee amounts to £36 million plus £5 million in add ons.
The 6ft 5in forward is described as a player who can score all sorts of goals and found hit the net 16 last season appearing twice for Italy in the UEFA Nations League in June.
West Ham fought off interest from a host of top clubs to complete a deal for the Rome-born player, who has been capped seven times and is considered his country’s current and future No9.
It seems certain that he will become the No 1 with maybe Michael Antonio available to play the wing role when required or of course centrally when the occasion demands.
Scamacca becomes the fourth signing of the summer with Nayef Aguerd, Alphonse Areola and Flynn Downes having already reduced the Hammers average age level within the squad.
And he is clearly delighted to have joined a club which will be pushing for top six or even top four positioning after finishing seventh last term.
“I feel like West Ham is the perfect team for me. They showed they really wanted me and when I spoke to the manager there was an instant understanding.
“I can’t wait to play and show the supporters what I can do in the West Ham shirt – I hope we will love each other.”
And manager Moues said@ “We’ve been looking to add more strength to our attacking options for a while, so we’re delighted to have got Gianluca in. He is a centre-forward with a really bright future ahead of him.”
Born in Rome on New Year’s Day 1999, Scamacca was with the Academies of both Lazio and Roma as a boy before moving to Dutch club PSV Eindhoven at 16 in 2015.
After 18 months in the Netherlands, during which he played three times for Jong PSV in the Dutch second tier, the striker moved home to Italy with Sassuolo. He was still just 18 when he debuted in Serie A away at Napoli in October 2017.
Loan spells with Serie B sides Cremonese and Ascoli and Dutch top-flight club PEC Zwolle followed, before he netted his first Serie A goal while on loan at Genoa in November 2020, and in a local derby with Sampdoria to boot.
After finishing the 2020/21 campaign with 12 goals, including four in the Italian Cup, Scamacca returned to Sassuolo in style last season.
Forging a potent partnership with fellow Italian Domenico Berardi for Alessio Dionisi’s free-scoring side, Scamacca scored a career-high 16 Serie A goals and became a regular in Roberto Mancini’s Italy squad.
After making his debut in a FIFA World Cup qualifying win over Lithuania in September 2021, the forward has earned six further caps, including a start in Italy’s Nations League tie with England at Molineux in June.
All,of us at CandH to welcome Gianluca to London Stadium and wish him well for his career in Claret and Blue.