Journalist expects West Ham to replace ‘stale’ strikers at the London Stadium
West Ham will move for a brand-new striker following the confirmed arrival of Konstantinos Mavropanos, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.
The Hammers officially unveiled their latest signing via Twitter (22 August), confirming that the Greece international centre-back had signed a five-year deal with the East London club, following his switch from Stuttgart.
And Taylor does not believe the Hammers are finished in the market yet, with a forward still on David Moyes’ shopping list before the transfer window slams shut.
“I do expect West Ham to move for a striker. (Gianluca) Scamacca has gone so, just logically, they need a replacement anyway. That said, I think West Ham probably would have looked at bringing someone in anyway because the options became a bit stale last season,” the Daily Express journalist told GIVEMESPORT (22 August).
“I think (Danny) Ings has been a bit of a poor acquisition, although I know he showed in spurts that he can score goals and he got a brace against Nottingham Forest last season.
“I don’t think West Ham can continue to rely on (Michail) Antonio, particularly with Europe. I think he showed against Chelsea that he has still got life left in the tank. He was exceptional, in terms of his hold-up play and scoring a great goal, but I think West Ham will be looking at a forward as someone they can bring in.”
Fresh legs
It is fair to suggest that Taylor does have a point, even though some Hammers supporters might not enjoy hearing what he has to say. Both of their main strikers are now on the wrong side of 30 and a fresh forward really feels like the final part of the jigsaw puzzle.
Following the signings of midfielders James Ward-Prowse and Edson Alvarez, Mavropanos arrives as a defensive reinforcement and it leaves the forward line as the only area of the pitch that has not seen any form of improvement this summer. The Hammers have made a great start to the Premier League campaign and a shiny new striker could push optimism levels even further.
It is a busy season for the club as they have another European journey to embark on, and they will need all hands on deck. It is important that they, therefore, don’t rest on their laurels ahead of the transfer window closing.
In other West Ham news, the club have seen an approach for an attacking reinforcement knocked back.