West Ham’s hunt for a striker took a familiar turn overnight but the focus should be on beating Nottingham Forest to a top recommendation.
When it comes to owners being front and centre of their club’s transfer business they do not come much more high profile than West Ham’s David Sullivan and Nottingham Forest’s Evangelos Marinakis.
Sullivan is back in control of West Ham’s dealings for the January transfer window.
Many Hammers fans believe it is showing too with the rumour mill in overdrive and the return of the scattergun approach.
It is a scattergun approach that has seen West Ham linked with a plethora of players including Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi.
Nottingham Forest themselves are being heavily linked with several deals.
The logic for the Tricky Trees is to make the most of what could be a once-in-a-lifetime season as they sit third, six points off leaders Liverpool.
West Ham, all the way down in 14th, have a new manager and therefore want new players to try and breathe some life into a dismal season.
West Ham must sign striker tipped for Forest by top journalist
Striker is the priority.
Links to Awoniyi have done little to inspire Hammers fans.
It’s easy to see why signing an injury-prone second choice forward from Forest is not getting the juices flowing for West Ham.
Then came news overnight that the Hammers have once again bid for someone who very much does – Jhon Duran.
West Ham saw a new £57m bid rejected by Aston Villa, though.
And the Hammers released a statement saying they have to ‘admit defeat and move on’.
Move on to who, though?
Links to other strikers have been unimaginative and more of the same.
Instead of targeting ageing cast-offs who have seen better days, West Ham should be looking to find the new Duran at half the price.
So West Ham must sign a striker tipped for Nottingham Forest by a top journalist.
Forget Duran, Hammers must move for Barry
Alex Barker is The Athletic’s leading European football expert.
He is also a leading tactical and player analyst.
With Forest being linked with strikers, Barker tasked himself with finding a sensible target to be their ‘next Chris Wood’.
And the man he settled on is exactly who West Ham should be banging the door down for, before Forest heed Barker’s advice.
Thierno Barry is a 6ft 4in 22-year-old catching the eye with Villarreal this season.
There have been claims the Spanish side would be tempted by offers over £20m for the French forward. That’s nearly three times less than West Ham have offered for Duran.
Barry has seven goals and three assists in 14 starts this season.
He is great in the air, his finishing his excellent and he makes key passes.
“He currently ranks as one of La Liga’s most creative strikers,” Barker says.
Barry’s strengths are also the fact he is an indirect set-piece threat, a big counter attack threat and likes to do flick ons.
The latter would suit West Ham, with players like Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus in desperate need of someone they can play off – but who is then quick enough to keep up with them during attacks.
It is easy to see why Barker has picked Barry out for Forest.
But it is West Ham who should be all over this in a bid to beat them to the punch.
Instead of taking Forest’s cast-off, go and beat them to the next big striker.
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