Andriy Yarmolenko

Andriy Yarmolenko
Image from: welt.de

Andriy Yarmolenko


Current Club: West Ham United.

Previous Clubs: Borussia Dortmund, Dynamo Kiev, Desna.

Loan Clubs: N/A.





International: Ukraine 76 caps 35 goals.

Trophies Won: Ukrainian League 2008/09, 2014/15, 2015/16. Ukrainian Super Cup 2009/10, 2011/12, 2016/17. Ukrainian Cup 2013/14, 2014/15. Ukrainian Footballer of the Year 2013, 2014, 2015.





It is early days in his Hammers' career, but there is a lot to excite fans about Yarmolenko from his time with Kiev. However there is also a lot to worry the fans about from his time with Dortmund. On the plus side, the Ukrainian winger has a sweet left foot, good pace, skill, trickery and a decent delivery. Plus the ability to score goals, he is particularly fond of cutting in from the right onto his left foot and curling the ball into the corner.



Added to that he is a big lad, with a lot of strength to hold off defenders and give himself time to work the ball away from them using his skill. All of those things mean he should be perfectly suited to the Premier League and make the move seem like a clever one by the Hammers. However there is a little more to it and that is why he struggled so badly in the Bundesliga.



While Yarmolenko, on the face of it, is similar to Arjen Robben, but big and strong. There are issues though. He has a tendency to overdo things, trying to take on not just one man too many, but 2, 3 or even 4 more as he do his fancy footwork. He will look to shift the ball around just out of reach and try and tempt players into a challenge, but he struggles against the better players to beat them.



As well as the cutting in on his left, ala Robben, he has one other move he looks to do, repeatedly. He is very keen on a back heel, something which is very hit and miss. When it comes off it looks great, but it is difficult to get accuracy with it, so it cannot be relied on, but he will try it multiple times a match.



If the Hammers can find a way to utilise his footwork and to get him to stick to mainly playing the ball early, unless he can get a full-back isolated, then he will be an excellent addition once he settles in. However, if they get the Dortmund Yarmolenko, he will be more of a hindrance, he will overrun the ball constantly, get caught in blind alleys he has run down and give the ball away time after time.



Requested by - bignev