Rio Ferdinand comments on reported West Ham target Gerard Moreno
West Ham United have been linked with a summer transfer move for Spain international striker Gerard Moreno and he has caught the eyes of Rio Ferdinand.
According to Calcio Mercato, the Hammers, Newcastle United and AS Roma are all keeping tabs on the Villarreal star ahead of a potential swoop.
The 29-year-old made his Euro 2020 debut against Sweden, coming off the bench to play the last 16 minutes of the goalless draw.
Spain boss Luis Enrique started Moreno against Poland, and the striker bagged his side’s assist in the 1-1 draw.
While the West Ham target missed a penalty that could have won Spain the game, his overall impact was there to see, and Ferdinand was left impressed.
“I think the person I was talking about coming into the (Spain) team, Moreno,” Ferdinand said on BBC Match of the Day.
“I thought he was the most effective player. In terms of driving forward at people at times, or just having something little different to the other players.”
Short-term solution for West Ham striking woes
The Hammers are in dire need of a quality striker this summer, and Moreno could be their man.
The Spaniard ended last season with 23 La Liga goals and seven Europa League goals, weighing in with 10 assists across both competitions, and we could do with such a prolific finisher.
Moreno scored 69 league goals and made 11 assists in his first five seasons in the La Liga [WhoScored] prior to last season, displaying consistency and growth over the years.
West Ham need someone like that, but the Europa League winner does not have a lot of years left in him at the top of the game.
Nevertheless, he could prove to be the perfect solution to our striking woes in the short term.
Apart from being a fantastic number 9, Moreno can also play on both wings and behind a striker, and manager David Moyes could do with such versatility.
Spain will be relying on him for the goals in their last group game against Slovakia as they seek a win, and with Alvaro Morata finding it hard to convert chances, Moreno needs to step up.
In other West Ham news, Declan Rice has been brutally mocked by Scotland fans in viral video clip after England 0-0 draw.
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