James McAtee is expected to leave Manchester City this summer, and the data shows that a move to West Ham would be the ideal next step in his career.
The 22-year-old has been dubbed the ‘next Cole Palmer’ as he finds himself in a similar position to the England superstar when he was at Man City. Like Palmer before him, McAtee is struggling for regular minutes under Pep Guardiola despite his obvious talent.
Having just led England’s U21s to the European Championship against Germany, it is clear that the attacking midfielder can’t return to the Etihad. He is at the stage in his career now where he needs regular minutes.
Thankfully, scores of clubs are willing to give McAtee exactly that. According to The Times, all of the biggest clubs in the Bundesliga except Bayern Munich are keen on the Young Lions star, but he is also fielding interest from sides much closer to home.
In recent months, McAtee has been linked with various Premier League outlets and, according to data analytics firm SciSports, a move within England is exactly what he needs.
McAtee an ideal fit for West Ham
Consulting SciSports’ Career Advice tool, we can see that West Ham are the youngster’s ideal next club, with a very good Club Fit score of 82 out of 100. The Hammers are followed by Everton, AC Milan and Sevilla.
Even with all of West Ham’s attacking talent still at the club, McAtee is given a playing time rating of four stars, which suggests that he will have no difficulty asserting himself in East London.
James McAtee’s top five next clubs (SciSports)
| Club | Club Fit | Development | Playing Time | Playstyle | Formation |
| West Ham | 82 | *** | **** | **** | ***** |
| Everton | 80 | ** | ***** | *** | ***** |
| AC Milan | 79 | ***** | *** | * | ***** |
| Sevilla | 78 | ** | ***** | *** | **** |
| Inter | 77 | **** | ** | **** | *** |
His chances of regular minutes will only be further boosted if the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta depart. He is also deemed a very good stylistic fit for Graham Potter’s philosophy.
McAtee is expected to cost around €30 million, and it is all but guaranteed that he will be on his way out of Man City this summer. At that price, he would be an absolute steal, and the Hammers would be well-advised to try and secure his signature.
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