West Ham United’s 2023/24 season got underway last Saturday afternoon with a frustrating defeat to Aston Villa at the London Stadium. It was a disappointing day for Julen Lopetegui and his side, who succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to the Villans, with the new Hammers boss suffering a close defeat in his first game in charge of the East Londoners.
An early goal from Amadou Onana gave the visitors the lead before a composed penalty from Lucas Paqueta equalised for the Hammers. From there, the home side created some good chances, but a late goal from Jhon Duran ensured the visitors left with all three points.
It was certainly a frustrating day at the office for the Hammers, who will now be hoping they can bounce back from such a disappointing defeat next time out. They have their first away trip of the season on Saturday, as they make the short trip across London to face Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace.
With the transfer window still open, there is still plenty of time for the Hammers to bring in some new faces. In particular, they have been linked with a few centre-forwards this summer, and whilst they have acquired one so far, could look to bring in another addition up front.
West Ham’s centre-forward moves so far
The only player the Hammers have signed to strengthen up front is Niclas Fullkrug. The German international scored two goals at Euro 2024 and was a Champions League finalist with Borussia Dortmund last season, but has since swapped Signal Iduna Park for the London Stadium.
He cost the East London outfit a reasonable fee of just £27m, which, given the current climate of the transfer market, seems a fair deal. He donned the famous claret and blue shirt for the first time against Villa on Saturday, coming in as a substitute.
Indeed, the German can bring a plethora of experience to a strike force which also includes Michail Antonio, the Hammers’ all-time top scorer in the Premier League, and the only man with 50 or more goals for West Ham in the competition.
However, they have shown keen interest in other players up front this summer too. The Hammers were heavily linked with Duran, who broke their hearts with his winning goal late in the day on Saturday.
According to a report from The Athletic, the Hammers made a cash plus player offer to sign the exciting youngster this summer. The package was worth £30m with young midfielder Lewis Orford going the other way to Villa Park, but it was a move that eventually fell through.
Given the fact West Ham want to add quality up front, it is unsurprising they wanted to sign the Columbian given he was so clinical last season. As per FBref, he played the equivalent of 5.3 full 90 minutes last season, scoring five goals from just seven shots on target. With 0.71, he averaged the joint second-best goals per shot on target in the Premier League last season.
Stat
Number
90s
5.3
Goals
5
Shots on target
7
Shots on target per 90
1.33
Goals per shots on target
0.71
Expected goals
2xG
Whilst Duran would’ve been an enterprising signing, given he packs a punch in front of goal and is very clinical, the Hammers may well have turned their attention elsewhere. A deal for the Colombian is now looking more unlikely this summer, and West Ham might well have to focus on other targets up front.
West Ham's search for a striker
The player in question here is AS Roma and England international striker Tammy Abraham. The former Chelsea striker struggled with a bad injury last term for the Italian giants and has since been linked with a move away from the Stadio Olimpico.
As reported earlier this week, the Hammers could offer Abraham the chance to return to England and London, with his future in Rome uncertain following the signing of Artem Dovbyk from Girona.
The belief is that, in order to facilitate the move for Abraham, the Hammers may have to sell another striker, with Danny Ings the most likely candidate to leave the club. The Chelsea academy graduate is valued at around £21m ahead of any potential move this summer.
In the season before his injury, 2022/23, Abraham was impressive for I Giallorossi. In Serie A that term, he played 38 games, scoring eight times and grabbing four assists. Indeed, in the following season, when he missed the majority of the campaign with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, he played eight times in Serie A, getting on the scoresheet once.
The Chelsea academy product is certainly a lucrative market option for the Hammers given his prior history in the Premier League. The 26-year-old, who has also played for Villa in the Championship, has played 89 times in the top flight in England, scoring 26 goals and grabbing five assists. That included 15 goals in 34 games for the Blues in 2019/20.
One of the Roma striker’s biggest strengths is his aerial ability. During the 2022/23 campaign, the 26-year-old won a remarkable 3.29 aerial duels per 90 minutes, at a win rate of 51.9% as per FBref. That ranked him in the top 8% and top 13% of Serie A strikers for that particular season.
The Hammers would be bringing in a “superb” striker, as football talent scout Jacek Kulig described Abraham. He is an experienced marksman, who is good in the air and knows how to find the back of the net.
An addition of such quality would also no doubt keep new man Fullkrug on his toes, with Abraham's prior top-flight experience ensuring he could certainly push the German
Whilst it is perhaps frustrating to lose out on Duran this summer, they will still be able to strengthen up front with a deadly Premier League quality striker who would hope to push them up into contention for a European spot.
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ByAngus Sinclair