West Ham now ‘need a quick hijack’ to sign £26m striker at London Stadium
The in-demand centre-forward has piqued interest from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur this summer
West Ham United will now turn their attention to sorting out their centre-forward struggles after landing a deal for Mohammed Kudus, and transfer insider Dean Jones has revealed some of the names on David Moyes’ summer shortlist.
The Hammers are unbeaten in their opening two domestic fixtures of the 2023/24 campaign but are still looking to bolster their attacking line before the window slams shut.
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West Ham opened their season with a 1-1 draw away from home to Bournemouth and then followed that up with an emphatic 3-1 home win against cross-London rivals Chelsea, which now sees them reside in seventh place. Although it’s still early days in the 38-game season, the feeling around the London Stadium camp will be a very positive one.
To brighten the mood even further, David Ornstein of The Athletic has reported that Kudus is set to fly to London tomorrow in order to complete his high-profile move. The report suggests that a five-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months, is set to be agreed for a €44.5m fee. Playing in an array of roles, Kudus has scored 27 goals and notched a further 12 assists in 87 games during his stint in Amsterdam, which proves he will be an invaluable asset in Moyes’ foreseeable plans.
The signing of the 23-year-old, who starred for Ghana at the 2022 World Cup, will take West Ham’s summer expenditure to around £117m, per Transfermarkt, as Moyes looks to emulate similar levels of success of 2022/23. Earlier this month, West Ham’s Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion had reportedly reached an agreement in principle with Ajax to sign the Ghana international, though the Seagulls missed out on their marquee signing after squabbling over personal terms, according to reports.
Now, Jones has suggested to GIVEMESPORT that the east Londoners’ sights will now be set on signing a new centre-forward to play alongside Kudus in a new look front line.
| West Ham United summer signings | Fee |
| Edson Alvarez (Ajax) | £35.4m |
| Sean Moore (Cliftonville) | Undisc. |
| James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) | £30m |
| Konstantinos Mavropanos (Stuttgart) | £19m |
| All fees according to Sky Sports |
What has Dean Jones said about West Ham United?
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones claimed that West Ham’s attention is now on signing a new striker and has provided a list of names the club could look at. However, the transfer insider did claim that Kudus, thanks to his varied skillset, could operate as the club’s leading man.
He said: “As West Ham United start to celebrate the Mohammed Kudus signing, attention will turn to the striker situation. It’s fair to say that until this point it has been a bit frustrating.
“They’ve looked into some potential buys from the continent and also in England, but the players are overpriced or not convinced of the move. At the moment, they are re-evaluating their approach to finding a new front option. The Youssef En-Nesyri deal is not making fast progress was one of the elements of this that sparked a rethink from what I’m told, but actually even the chances of that on loan is not something they are totally turning their back on.
“Hugo Ekitike is one that has been on their radar for a long time, and they continue to be in conversation for him, but they have very strong competition to sign him. The player has indicated he is actually very keen on the Premier League and that is something they will try to use to their advantage. But still, it’s tough. If Chelsea sign another striker then Armando Broja could come back into the thinking. That one isn’t really active at the moment. Gift Orban has been deeply talked into joining Spurs and that would need a quick hijack if that one is going to lead anywhere.
“I think one thing to bear in mind here is that Kudus can actually play as a centre forward and from what I have heard, there is an intention for that to be the case at times. So this is not really a time to panic and sign someone for the sake of it. I still think they probably will get another forward in, but I keep being told that if it doesn’t happen, they won’t see it as the end of the world because Kudus is so good at so many different things.”
Which striker could West Ham United sign this summer?
According to talkSPORT, the Hammers have reignited their interest in Youssef En-Nesyri with little time left to negotiate a deal before the window closes. Spanish reports do suggest, however, that West Ham will be able to act on their interest in the Sevilla hitman by lodging a bid in the region of £21.4m. Described as ‘incredible’ by MailOnline, the Morocco international scored 18 goals in 48 games across all competitions for his current employers last season and could be a feasible option for the reigning Europa Conference League champions.
As Jones alluded to, Moyes and his recruitment staff could look to hijack Tottenham Hotspur’s prospective move for Gent striker Orban before the transfer window closes on September 1. The Nigerian, who has scored two goals in three appearances already this term, could be available for around £26m this summer, according to football.london. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano recently told GIVEMESPORT that Spurs were flirting with the idea of tabling a bid, though no concrete negotiations had been held which has left the door wide open for West Ham go toe-to-toe with their capital rivals for Orban’s signature.
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