Unable to find a spot in West Ham United’s starting line-up despite the Hammers spending heavily on him, Nikola Vlasic needed a new club this summer.
Quickly, Torino in Italy appeared as an option, which immediately appealed to the Croatian, who would find a compatriot in Ivan Juric as his manager.
After some wrangling, West Ham agreed to let the midfielder go on loan, including an option to buy for the Serie A club to trigger should they feel so inclined to.
Unlike some other loans around Europe, though, Vlasic’s at Torino has started off really well, with the player scoring three goals in his first five appearances.
The latest came against Lecce on Monday night, as he helped his side pick up three points, and Corriere della Sera call him ‘uncatchable’.
The West Ham loanee was ‘solid’ and ‘technical’ for Torino, basically ‘a man everywhere in enemy territory’.
He has been given a chance to roam, as ‘the position is decided by him’, as he showed ‘great tactical intelligence’ by ‘exploring from time to time the places less guarded by Lecce’.
Basically, he’s doing everything he was unable to do at West Ham, where David Moyes never really seemed to trust him.
It appears the Hammers’ midfielder has found himself a great club to shine in, which could bode well for the London Stadium side, who might end up recouping some of their initial expenditure should Torino decide to make the move permanent next summer.