West Ham back in to sign striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic simply loves, could replace Niclas Fullkrug
West Ham United have reignited their interest in AC Milan striker Santiago Gimenez.
West Ham are looking to replace Niclas Fullkrug in the January transfer window, with the Germany international set to exit the London Stadium.
Bringing in a new striker is a top priority for David Sullivan, with West Ham still very much in a relegation scrap at this stage.
According to Tuttosport on 26 November, West Ham are looking at bringing in Gimenez at the turn of the year.
West Ham were linked with Gimenez in January, but the Mexico international instead elected to join Milan from Feyenoord.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic pushed for Santiago Gimenez signing at Milan
Legendary former striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic now works as a director at Milan and is said to have played a big part in Gimenez joining the Rossoneri.
Indeed, Ibrahimovic heaped praise on Gimenez at his unveiling at San Siro in February this year as he spoke to reporters.
“He has great quality and is hungry to score,” Ibrahimovic said. “He reminds me of [Francesco] Camarda; they have the same hunger to score.
“If you don’t have it, you don’t have it. For me he is good in the area and he can help the team a lot.“
While Gimenez has been praised for his work ethic, his goalscoring record is not the greatest.
The 24-year-old has scored seven goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for Milan, with just one in 11 this season.
According to the report coming out of Italy, Gimenez may be open to a move away from San Siro in order to keep his dreams of representing Mexico at next year’s World Cup alive.
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Gimenez would be a better option than Niclas Fullkrug for West Ham
Quite simply, and rather brutally, anyone would be better than Fullkrug for West Ham right now.
Werder Bremen are expected to move for Fullkrug, and the sooner he is off the books at the London Stadium the better.
| Niclas Fullkrug | Santiago Gimenez | |
| 18 | Games | 25 |
| 6 | Starts | 17 |
| 3 | Goals | 12 |
| 2 | Assists | 3 |
| 5 | Goals and assists combined | 15 |
As per FBref, Gimenez has a very similar profile to Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy and Newcastle United’s Yoane Wissa, both of whom would excite West Ham fans.
Gimenez’s goalscoring record at Milan is not the greatest, which cannot be ignored, but there is a reason why one of the world’s biggest teams moved for him in the first place.
With age still on his side, this could be a signing that ticks multiple boxes for West Ham heading into the second half of the campaign.
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