Jarrod Bowen verdict emerges as West Ham United told who they must sign
Frank McAvennie has told West Ham they need to sign a striker who can lead the line on his own as he insisted Jarrod Bowen is currently the best striker at the club.
Michail Antonio was signed out as the only one who can lead the line, unlike Danny Ings, but it was also said that the Jamaican is too unreliable to leave as the only option.
The former Hammers forward explained that he would like to play Bowen off of Antonio, but insisted the club should be looking for a striker who brings his teammates into play.
McAvennie – speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone – also explained that the club could stick with Antonio as the leading striker, rotating Bowen into his position if he gets injured.
“From an attacking point of view, Bowen is the best striker we’ve got, but I like him off of Antonio,” McAvennie shared.
“There are so many strikers who can’t play on their own, so if they’re going to sign a striker, please get someone who knows how to lead the line.
“It doesn’t take rocket science. They keep bringing players in like Ings who can’t play on their own and can’t bring other players into the game. Antonio can do that. We need somebody who can do that.
“Antonio, for me, you can’t rely on him, but Bowen can play up front so maybe they want to keep that for next year. I wouldn’t be upset if Antonio was the main guy and, if he got injured, Bowen would move up front. We need somebody that can play.”
West Ham told to sign new striker this summer
McAvennie has previously spoken highly of Antonio and his performances at the London Stadium as he repeated his suggestion that he should play in a duo with Bowen up front, with the Englishman dropping deeper off of the main forward.
It has become clear in recent weeks that the Hammers’ performances dip if either Antonio or Bowen is left out of the side – as exemplified by the 4-3 defeat to Newcastle when Antonio was taken off and the 5-2 loss against Crystal Palace when Bowen was missing.
However, the Jamaican has also been linked with an exit from the London Stadium recently and he could be tempted to walk away if Bowen becomes the first-choice striker under a possible new manager, as McAvennie hinted at.
The Hammers have been heavily linked with signing a new striker this summer to improve their attacking options which, opposing what McAvennie has suggested, would likely see Antonio drop into more of a backup role.
In other West Ham news, new manager links have been branded “embarrassing”.
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