West Ham United have an obligation to sign on-loan centre-forward Simone Zaza on a permanent deal after just 10 appearances for the club, according to Bookiepromotions.com.
The Italian international, who represented his country at Euro 2016, has made five appearances for the Hammers in all competitions since arriving on a season-long loan deal from Juventus in the summer.
However, Zaza is reportedly set to join the Premier League side on a permanent basis, after his father and agent Antonio told Italian website Tuttojuve.com that they would be obliged to sign him once he has played 10 games for Slaven Bilic’s side.
“He is on loan from Juventus with an obligation to buy after 10 appearances,” Zaza Sr. said. “I think he has four or five so far.”
Zaza Jr. has endured a difficult start to life in London – failing to register a single shot on target since arriving from the reigning Serie A champions.
Nevertheless, his father insists that the 25-year-old is enjoying his time in the English capital and just needs time to adapt.
“He needs to settle, he has totally changed the way of playing,” he added. “(Zaza) is fine, you have to wait.
“There are no other problems. He is happy to be there. I repeat, they have another way of playing, it is not easy to settle in.”
Zaza’s slow start has mirrored the one endured by West Ham, who currently sit 18th in the Premier League table after collecting just four points from their opening seven matches.
That is a far cry from last season when the Hammers finished seventh and qualified for the preliminary rounds of the UEFA Europa League, from which they were eliminated by Romanian side Astra Giurgiu.
After moving from the Boleyn Ground to the London Stadium over the summer, Bilic’s men have struggled to adapt at their new home and will be desperate to turn things around after the international break.
West Ham’s next chance to do so will come when they welcome Crystal Palace and former boss Alan Pardew on October 15, before travelling to fellow strugglers Sunderland the following week.
