Goals from strikers this season for West Ham have been very few and far between and therefore the key for the summer is to bring in a new striker or maybe a couple.
Andy Carroll’s loan deal comes to a end at the end of the season and with rumours doing the rounds that West Ham won’t be splashing the £17 million they agreed with Liverpool for the striker, I have listed five strikers that could prove good buys.
Charlie Austin ( £6-8 million). Whilst playing his trade in the lower leagues of English football Charlie Austin worked as a brickie whilst playing for Poole Town before he made the step up to the Football League with a move to Swindon Town. Many football fans will know that Charlie Austin is a born goal scorer and that didn’t change when he moved to Burnley for £1 million from Swindon Town. I personally like Austin and feel he is a real goalpoacher and would easily rack in around the 15 goals a season mark should he make his inevitable move to the Premier League. This could prove to be an exciting striker for West Ham and one that could easily become a fan favourite.
Wilfred Bony ( £10-12 million). It is safe to say there would be some stiff competition for Bony should West Ham decide to make a move for him come the summer. Bony’s performances for club (Vitesse) and country (Ivory Coast) have caught the eyes of many clubs across Europe and Bony has became hot property.
Wilfred Bony has been labelled the next Didier Drogba, with his muscular build he is a real powerhouse striker. At the age of only 24 he could prove an excellent piece of business and West Ham could offer Bony first team games week in week out.
Ricky Van Wolfswinkel ( £5-7 Million). Van Wolfswinkel is another young player that I have singled out who many feel has a promising future in football and a big move from Dutch side FC Utrecht to Portuguese Sporting CP proved the kid has quality. After a fine start to his Sporting CP career, this season has seen Van Wolfswinkel come off the boil a little and he was even linked with a January move to Norwich.
This shows that he is there for the taking. Ricky Van Wolfswinkel could be fantastic for West Ham and vice versa and I have no doubt in my mind should he move to the Premier League his form would return and you never know, he could be our very own Van Persie!
Darren Bent ( £4-6 million). What can you say about Darren Bent that we don’t already know? The fact he is a proven goal scorer at Premier League level is a major factor in why a West Ham summer move for Bent would make complete sense. Again, this season Bent has had a lack of form but also had a few injuries which could go hand in hand.
Bent not being a first team choice at Aston Villa may prove that they are keen to sell and we could get a very nice deal out of it. Bent isn’t getting any younger so this may only be a quick fix but a fix it will be, with Bent leading the line you can guarantee goals.
Leigh Griffiths ( £500,000 — 750,000). Yes this is my wildcard! But one thing that must be said about Griffiths is that wherever he has played he has scored goals. Griffiths is another striker that has that natural goal scoring ability which leaves that unanswered question – why did Wolves sign him but never play him?
Griffiths signed for Wolves from Dundee for around £150,000 so very little money for a man that easily finds the net. Let me talk to you about his record; Livingston 47 games 22 goals, Dundee 47 games 21 goals, then he moved to Wolves where he was loaned out to Hibernian he played 30 games with 8 gaols and this season he was loaned back to Hibernian and has played 28 games scored 19 goals. For me Griffiths is worth a shot and him coming in would cost us very little.
These are the five players that I would be very interested in seeing at West Ham. There are the likes of Lambert and Holt but again age isn’t on their side. would like to see West Ham going for younger, hungrier players. Yes some of these players come at a premium but some are more than worth spending that money on. It would be great to hear who you would all like to see come in during the summer.
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