Darren Bent tells West Ham to sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Darren Bent believes Dominic Calvert-Lewin is the perfect striker solution for West Ham, but they shouldn’t pay more than £40m for him.
Calvert-Lewin has struggled massively with injuries this season, restricting him to just three goals this season as Everton battle with relegation.
But while speaking on talkSPORT about rumours the the Toffees will be forced to sell either the 25-year-old or Richarlison, Bent was quick to throw the Hammers into the race so long as the price was right.
“He knows how to score goals and he knows how to be a centre-forward,” he said.
“I think for Calvert-Lewin, West Ham. They need another centre-forward. They cross the ball. If it’s £60 million, nobody is buying him for that. Of course not. For me, £35 to 40 million.”
Cut-price
The only way West Ham get Calvert-Lewin for the price that Bent feels is acceptable is if they get relegated, and even then that might not be enough.
The England international is widely regarded as one of their best players and has been a regular in the national team squad before injuries caught him up this season.
But when fit and firing he’s one of the most effective front men outside of the big six and has proven that he can score goals at the highest level.
West Ham would do well to beat off competition for him too, because some top clubs would almost certainly show an interest but he does seem like he would be a perfect fit stylistically too.
Whether he would dislodge Michail Antonio as the starting striker is questionable, but when fully fit he certainly provides the sort of quality that David Moyes has been lacking in the final third.
In other West Ham news, Manuel Lanzini involved in horror car crash en route to West Ham training – report
Be sure to follow West Ham Zone on Facebook for 24/7 updates on the Hammers plus more exclusive interviews with Frank McAvennie.