West Ham United last night sent officials to the Champions League clash between Benfica and Napoli, according to claims in the Portuguese media. The Premier League side have made frequent trips to Portugal this season, but their focus may have been on the Serie A club.
A Bola have today confirmed West Ham were on the scouting list to see Napoli beat Benfica 2-1, and they were joined by other English clubs including Chelsea and Manchester United.
There have been no reports who any of the clubs were watching last night, which is understandable given there were over a dozen clubs from across Europe present at the game.
However, a player who West Ham could have their eye on is summer target Manolo Gabbiadini, who may need to leave Napoli to get more playing time elsewhere.
Last week we covered reports from Italy that West Ham put in an offer for Gabbiadini in the last window, but this was turned down. Gabbiadini has struggled to get games at Napoli despite Gonzalo Higuaín joining Juventus in the summer, and West Ham could take advantage of the situation.
West Ham’s problems in attack this season have been well documented, with the misfiring Simone Zaza potentially returning to Italy or going to Spain, and subsequently Hammers’ manager Slaven Bilic may look to bring in a forward in January.
