David Moyes can make space for striker transfer at West Ham United in Santiago Gimenez as £40m news emerge
West Ham United now know the price tag needed to sign Feyenoord goal machine Santiago Gimenez and they can make space for the Mexican by letting go of Michail Antonio or Danny Ings.
Uk-based publication Mirror reported on 28 October that the Hammers want to sign the 22-year-old Mexican but are among several top clubs in Europe who are lying in wait to seal his signature.
The Mirror added that Eredivisie club Feyenoord are braced for January bids for the player, whose value is now £40million-plus. However, the Dutch giants do not have any intention to lose Gimenez in the winter window (TEAMtalk, 2 November).
Gimenez is unsurprisingly attracting interest from several clubs in Europe, with the Mirror adding that fellow Premier League sides Tottenham, Arsenal and Newcastle United are also chasing his services.
But the long list of potential suitors doesn’t end there, with Serie A giants Inter, AC Milan and Juventus all keeping tabs, along with Spanish outfits Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Feyenoord will definitely be firm in their stance to keep the striker around in January, after banging in a stunning tally of 15 goals from his 12 matches in all competitions this season.
Gimenez not only scores goals but creates them too, so far registering 3 assists in the Eredivisie from 1.3 key passes per game and five big chances created (SofaScore) – the same can’t be said of Moyes’ current options.
The Mexican is producing the goods both in the league and in the Champions League, having netted twice in the group stage win over Lazio on 25 October.
Despite Feyenoord’s stance, that doesn’t mean West Ham United can jump to the first of the queue to tout his services for a move over the summer
Italian transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, in his CaughtOffside Substack column (4 November) shared that a new striker will be on the agenda for the Irons in 2024 but they aren’t in any rush. However, given their dreadful striker circumstances right now, they desperately need a striker of Gimenez’s ilk.
Both Ings and Antonio are in a terrible run of form right now, with the former struggling to get starting opportunities right now and the latter failing to produce the goods consistently.
The Jamaican international’s impressive start to the season has taken a dramatic nosedive with his blank against Everton last weekend now his seventh Premier League game without scoring since the Brighton win in August and it’s now just two goals in his last eleven in all competitions [SofaScore].
Goals win games and while Jarrod Bowen has proven a shining light in that regard, relying on the Englishman’s goals really isn’t sustainable for the Hammers, especially if they harbour ambitions to be European champions and finish much higher in the Premier League.
For that reason, Moyes must be ruthless in the market by acquiring a top-tier clinical number nine to ease the burden on Bowen, but first, they must rid of Ings or Antonio to make space for one.
Gimenez seemingly has the freedom to choose from a lengthy list of top clubs, and the East London outfit are not likely to be at the top but they can certainly make their intentions clear to the player and his representatives. If that doesn’t work out, then they’ve got to look elsewhere to find one.
A striker who can score consistently is desperately needed at the London Stadium and the Hammers will be demanding it when the window opens.
In other West Ham news, an update has been provided on the behind-the-scenes news regarding Vanessa Gold’s plans to sell a significant portion of her family’s shares.