West Ham forward in contention to face Newcastle after missing Chelsea clash – report
West Ham United forward Sebastien Haller is back in contention to feature against Newcastle on Sunday afternoon, according to the Daily Mail.
The Irons’ record signing is yet to feature since the Premier League restart and that has led to Michail Antonio leading the line.
Antonio has struggled by himself but did put in a cracking performance against Chelsea in the 3-2 victory at the London Stadium.
Andriy Yarmalenko got the all-important goal but neither of those two options would be classed as out-and-out strikers.
The Daily Mail reported that Haller has been in training on Saturday, and could more than likely return for the game against the Magpies.
After a cracking win over Chelsea though, it is unlikely that David Moyes will make wholesale changes to his side.
What would Haller bring to the team though? The Frenchman would be that vocal point that the Hammers have missed in the final third.
Antonio hasn’t played badly, but often drifts far too wide meaning that the midfield are lacking options when moving forward.
The 26-year-old wins 7.6 aerial battles per game according to WhoScored and is dispossessed consistently fewer times than Antonio when on the ball.
Newcastle will be looking to counter-attack through the likes of Allan Saint-Maximin just as they have so effectively after the restart, and Haller could play a massive role in making sure that doesn’t happen.
In other West Ham United news, the Irons have joined the race for this defender with release clause revealed