West Ham United might have perfect Michail Antonio replacement as Callum Wilson price set
The winds of change have been afoot at West Ham since Julen Lopetegui was appointed as the successor to David Moyes.
The former Wolves manager hasn’t yet managed the Hammers for a game but has already made some bold changes.
Namely, their eager pursuit of players they wish to sign has been stepped up tenfold this transfer window.
The London-based club have already added Luis Guilherme to their ranks [The Athletic, 13 June] and don’t seem to be stopping any time soon.
There have been an abundance of names linked with the Hammers and it feels as if a major overhaul is set to take place.
So, it’s no surprise that the club are being linked with Premier League stalwart Callum Wilson for a fee of £10million-plus in the summer window [Daily Mirror, 25 June, page 54].
Why Callum Wilson would be a good addition to the West Ham United squad
Wilson has played in every Premier League season since the 2015/16 campaign, first for Bournemouth and then latterly for Newcastle, and he could be the perfect replacement for a man he knows very well in Michail Antonio.
It’s clear that the Hammers need more attacking options after veteran striker Antonio, who is part of the Footballer’ Football podcast with Wilson, only managed seven goals across all competitions last term – albeit he did miss a chunk of the campaign with injury.
By adding a proven Premier League striker to their ranks, it would improve their chances of bettering their ninth-placed finish during 2023/24 tenfold and enable pressure to be taken off the shoulders of both Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus going into the next season.
Despite age not being on his side, the striker is younger than Antonio and could prove to be a vital stop-gap for his friend for now.
Long term you would perhaps want someone a little younger, perhaps someone like Tammy Abraham who the club have been heavily linked with in recent weeks [Daily Mail, 14 June], but Wilson could be a very shrewd acquisition in what has traditionally been a problem area for the Hammers.
In other West Ham news, a winner has been named in the race for Ismael Kone.
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