West Ham United ‘priority’ update shared on phenomenal striker abroad
West Ham United are not prioritising a move for RB Leipzig forward Andre Silva, according to Florian Plettenberg.
The Sky Sports Germany journalist reported via X (15 January) that while a prospective move is “not currently hot”, the Hammers retain the forward on the list of backup transfer candidates in East London.
Silva is a long-standing target at the London Stadium dating back four years, and TBR Football reported on Tuesday (14 January) that West Ham had indeed reignited their interest in the forward, but those claims appear wide of the mark.
West Ham United will prioritise alternative options over Andre Silva
The 29-year-old was once dubbed “phenomenal” by Cristiano Ronaldo for his efforts with the Portugal national side (Bundesliga, 31 May 2023), but his displays this season have been far from it.
Andre Silva is surplus to requirements in Leipzig and available for a cut-price fee and/or loan move after contributing only four goals in 31 Bundesliga outings last term, and finds himself firmly behind Benjamin Sesko in the pecking order.
Although his first team opportunities this year have been limited, he is hardly producing the form worthy of earning back his starting spot, with only one goal to his name thus far in eight appearances.
He may have been a widely coveted forward during his time at Eintracht Frankfurt, but those days are long behind him – for once, West Ham are exercising caution in the face of a crisis.
With Niclas Fullkrug joining Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen on the sidelines, Graham Potter utilised Lucas Paqueta as a false nine during the 3-2 win against Fulham on Tuesday (14 January), but that was only a short-term fix.
Indeed, the Irons tried and failed with a £50million bid to sign Aston Villa star Jhon Duran this month [Claret & Hugh], but with the plethora of options available in the winter market, there is no time to panic in East London just yet.
Furthermore, Celtic youth sensation Daniel Cummings is the latest name to appear alongside West Ham [Fabrizio Romano] – the 18-year-old has scored 24 goals in as many games at youth level in Glasgow and is a far more attractive proposition than a Portuguese international well past his best days.
In other West Ham news, the Irons will make a decision on Maxwel Cornet amid Lens approach.
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