Hammers’ striker signing | Career defining moment

With even failed strikers from the Premier League apparently costing over £60 million, West Ham are in a ‘challenging’ situation right now. The interest in Yuri Alberto from May would seem to be genuine, borne out from recent reports. Having apparently agreed terms with Brazil’s golden boot winner from 2024, you’d understand why the Irons now have a stark choice awaiting them.

Firstly, can they really countenance signing a player with a fractured back?  The Irons’ pursuit of Alberto has been ongoing for two years. There must be a temptation to stick with Alberto who could be playing again in three or four months.

As far as alternatives- the price being sought for Liverpool’s ‘failed’ fourth choice striker Darwin Nuñez – sixty plus million – shows West Ham’s budget at less than half of that leaves them so far away from a top quality striker that only two options seem possible.

Rely on young, up and coming unproven talent or bring in an old trusty warhorse.

With ‘just’ Niclas Fullrkug and kids Daniel Cummings and Callum Marshall due to turn up for pre season in a couple of weeks, West Ham can either take a punt on another ‘youngster’ on his way up:  Hamza Igamane from Rangers for example: Just today mirror.co.uk suggest that a young hitherto unmentioned goalscorer, Gambian talented centre forward Adama Bojang is being considered.

The alternative would be to  fall back on an old, tried and tested formula- and stick with an old warhorse like Dominic Calvert Lewin or Tammy Abraham. Of course, the second option  would lead to universal outcry from the fanbase who are just waiting for the latest variant of a ‘Callum Wilson’ to arrive in order to launch another anti – board tirade.

And as of now, the clock is ticking. Pre-season will be here in the blink of an eye so Potter, Macaulay and Sullivan need to act.

After a failure at Chelsea, Graham Potter’s own career could be defined by the choice of frontman. Abandon the Brazilian or gamble all on Alberto and hope to muddle through until he is fit.

Sounds like a rerun of last season’s ‘waiting for Fullkrug’. And we know how that panned out.