Tony Cottee in disbelief over ‘Joke’ West Ham United decision at London Stadium
Tony Cottee cannot believe West Ham United did not sign a reliable goalscorer in the summer, calling the decision a “joke”.
The Hammers signed Niclas Fullkrug from Borussia Dortmund, but the Germany international has struggled massively with injuries since the move.
Cottee wasn’t pleased with the decision to not bring in a younger option in the final third, while speaking to Jeff Stelling and Ally McCoist on talkSPORT [21 October, 8:58].
“You know the centre-forward position is just, it’s just a joke that they haven’t bought a centre-forward who could score goals and lead the line,” he stressed.
“If you’re Bowen, Kudus, Paqueta, Summerville, they’ve got good players, but no one is leading the line.
“Antonio has been brilliant. Don’t get me wrong, he signed as a right-back, top goalscorer, he’s done fantastic, but he’s 34 now. Fullkrug, 31. They need a young, dynamic striker to lead the line.”
West Ham United transfer decision was a joke
Many West Ham fans will agree that Antonio has been a great servant to the club, but there comes a time when the baton has to be passed along.
It’s a shame that the Irons are still relying on him to find the back of the net consistently, something he has failed to do over the last few years.
The need to sign a number nine in the previous transfer window was massive, and despite doing that with the arrival of Fullkrug, they may have got it wrong.
The 31-year-old is hardly at the start of his career, and the recruitment team seems to have preferred a short-term fix rather than a long-term approach.
Additionally, the German has been injured for most of the season, and Julen Lopetegui has been unable to call upon his services.
With the Hammers struggling, it looks like the decision to move on from David Moyes and focus on adding more defenders rather than strikers has backfired.
With Kudus now potentially facing a lengthy suspension after his red card in the 4-1 loss to Tottenham, how will the Irons approach the upcoming games?
In other West Ham news, Julen Lopetegui is in big trouble after the loss v Tottenham.
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