When Eintracht Frankfurt forward Sébastien Haller signed for West Ham United, more than a few eyebrows were raised. Here was a player being linked with the elite of Europe, signing with a mid-table Premier League club. Despite not truly hitting it off in the league so far, with only 6 goals, Haller has steadily grown into his role as the lead forward at West Ham.

What makes Sébastien Haller stand out?

A tremendous asset in the air, Haller is one of the most technically gifted forwards in England. He works hard for the defence, too, often working a their primary opening line of defence. A good finisher when it matters, too, he’s got an array of finishes that he can produce with either feet. This makes Haller one of the most intriguing players in the league to watch; he’s got a bit of everything.

However, as is noted below, he perhaps lacks the fluidity to play in more than a set few systems.

What does Sébastien Haller need to work on?

One thing that we noticed about Haller is that he does not seem to work as well outside of his previous partnership. At Frankfurt, he was paired with Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic. Both of his partners were grafters wo worked hard, moved around, and could easily rotate positions with one another. At West Ham, though, he’s used as the primary focal point of their attack.

Despite his size and his strength, Haller is not your archetypical target man. However, he’s often typecast as such due to his natural look and frame. However, it would be fair to say that Haller could improve on this side of his game. If he was less specific in which systems benefited him, he’d move even higher up the football food table.