Exclusive: McAvennie baffled by West Ham failure to sign new striker
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
Frank McAvennie is baffled by West Ham’s failure to sign a new centre-forward in the January transfer window after selling Sebastien Haller to Ajax.
Michail Antonio is now the only recognised striker in David Moyes’ first-team squad but the 30-year-old has had numerous injury issues throughout his spell in East London.
Antonio has already missed eight Premier League fixtures this season due to injury while last term he missed 14 top-flight matches.
Antonio’s one of those players who seems to be carrying a knock or a niggling injury all the time and McAvennie believes that could be down to how hard he works.
The ex-Hammers striker suggests one way for Antonio to cut down on his injury issues to to stop chasing as many balls and conserve his energy.
“If Antonio gets injured they’re going to have to play someone up front who isn’t a centre-forward,” McAvennie told West Ham Zone.
“I don’t agree with it but it’s one of them.
“I don’t know what boys they’ve got coming through but if he gets injured, we’re in big trouble.
“He can’t help running about and chasing 40-yard passes because he’s doing it by himself up front.
“I keep thinking, ‘leave it, save your energy’. You don’t want him injured.
“I really don’t get it.”
According to football.london, Moyes didn’t sign a striker in the January window simply because one that he wanted was not available.
He was quoted as saying: “I don’t want to waste money, I don’t want to waste the space in the squad and fill it up with someone who is going to be here for two/three years and maybe I can’t move on and I can’t change around. I want people in who I think will be here for a while.”
While a short-term signing, potentially on loan, would have been a good bit of help in the short-term, you can see why Moyes has decided against signing back-up for Antonio.
West Ham have wasted a lot of money on strikers over the years and Moyes, in his first few transfer windows back at the London Stadium, has done very little wrong.
We should trust him because he clearly seems to know a lot better about what to do in the transfer market than some of the managers who graced the Irons before him.
Moyes is thinking in the long-term here. All the money he saves up now can be used in the summer to sign a striker who he actually wants.
In other West Ham news, the Irons are ramping up their pursuit of Adam Armstrong.