Speedy Solution to Irons Goalscoring Woes

If the news coming out of West Ham is to be believed – more on that shortly – then West Ham United don’t have the budget to go shopping in January for a proven goalscorer, as Gonzo’s recent article ‘West Ham are skint’ quotes from our high-ranking insider within the club. Media pieces conflict with this, with interest reportedly  being shown in both Hugh Duro (yesterdays Claret and Hugh)  and Omar Marmoush (Bundesliga Striker ) in recent days along with rumours of Mikhail Antonio being sold in January to free up the wages for another player.

As far as the ‘we’re skint’ rumour – we have heard it before from West Ham -even in August just gone, remember, claiming there was a kitty of no more than sixty million. So I’m reserving judgement on that one. Once Ings or Antonio are out then the salary can be found for a new goalscorer.

So, what alternatives do we have. By the start of next summer we will have just one striker on our books and he will be thirty two years old. Ings and Antonio will have gone out of contract and left, freeing up a couple of hundred thousand a week. Are we just going to arrive at that moment next summer with nothing prepared? I’d be surprised.

Either we have to find the next ‘Jhon Duran’ before he gets a £40 million price tag – a year ago transfermarkt.com valued him at £17 million – or we have to look within and try to fast-track one of our under 21 strikers to fill the gap that Divin Mubama left as our ‘future prospect’. At present either Brad Dolaghan (who scored twice last night against Bilbao u21’s) or Callum Marshall (on loan this season) would seem most promising.

Wasn’t Tim Steidten’s stated aim to ‘unearth pearls’ for the future? We need one now, who can grow into a goalscorer. So far, Tim has ‘found’ Luis Guilherme but at a price -gasp – £20 million plus – he’s possibly being prepared to be Kudus Mk II but he’ ll not be a number nine any day soon. (Boy we could do with that cash now).

And please, no more talk of stop gap ‘free’ signings of thirty-somethings who don’t have clubs. We’ve had enough of the ‘past – it’ brigade. Time for Tim to deliver, and fast. Only 12 weeks to January, Tim. I hope there’s a few on your shortlist because we’re going to need them. Every Hammers fan wants to hear we have a young, fast, up coming talent who was snatched from obscurity in Brazil, Argentina Spain or Germany who will go on to score 15 goals a season. Too much to ask? What choice do we have if Duran is out of our price range then? ‘Doing nothing’- once again –  is not an option.