January is not far away now. The recruitment team at London Stadium finally appear to be getting their short list together to bring a young striker to London Stadium which Lopetegui has apparently demanded. Relying on Antonio, Ings and a stricken Fullkrug leaves The Hammers with no fast up-front option as a ‘plan B’. Both fit strikers are on the last few months of their contracts in any case and will be leaving 1 June next year.
So, the urgency grows. Frequent scouting reports link West Ham with new options and today there are still suggestions (givemesport.com) that a Jhon Duran deal may be back ‘on’ from Aston Villa – which I’d respectfully suggest are very unlikely as he will be priced well above West Ham’s purse after the failed attempt to buy at £35 million earlier in the summer.
However in the same report is a suggestion that West Ham may be looking at Atalanta forward Ademala Lookman – he who struggled at Everton and Fulham but came to prominence again after his hat-trick in the Europa League final against Bayer Leverkusen.
17 Goals and ten assists last season and four in four this season already show the Nigerian back on-form and the target of interest from several clubs, West Ham included. The report does finish by pondering quite how West Ham would tempt him to abandon Champions League football.
However this is probably missing the point as The Irons are more likely now creating the shortlist of ‘possibles’ before Steidten looks to bring one to the club. That would be a relief to all of us watching Mikey Antonio’s 34 year old physique try and hold up week after week with another international break and trips back to Jamaica on the horizon for our only fit ‘lone operator’ target man.
