Real pressure on any new West Ham United striker to perform amid £100m+ transfer news
There is plenty of pressure on any player when they arrive at West Ham, with the London Stadium faithful expecting big things of everyone in claret and blue.
But perhaps the most pressure is reserved for strikers, who are really not given much time at all to find the back of the net when representing the Hammers.
Unfortunately, however, things haven’t gone according to plan for many of the club’s strikers in recent years. The most recent example is Gianluca Scamacca, who last just one season in East London due to his struggles in front of goal.
But the Italian international hasn’t been the only one, with current man Danny Ings not exactly thriving in the final third.
It has been a real problem area for the Hammers, who have spent over £100million on strikers since the summer of 2019, which involves just four players.
That includes £35.5million on Scamacca [Sky Sports, 28 July 2022], £15m on Ings [Sky Sports, 15 February], £45million on Sebastien Haller [BBC Sport, 17 July 2019], and £8million Albian Ajeti [BBC Sport, 8 August 2019].
The club really need to put an end to this nightmare, with everyone associated with the Hammers desperate for their next striker to enjoy their spell in claret and blue.
And there are a few potential candidates to give it a go this season, with West Ham targeting both Yuri Alberto of Corinthians and PSG’s Hugo Ekitike, according to the Evening Standard (30 August).
The publication added that the Premier League club will only sign one striker before the transfer window deadline, with the potential new arrival certain to be under plenty of pressure from day one.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers have made an approach for a “highly-rated” defender, with the player’s current club expecting him to leave.