West Ham is reported to be leading the race for Roma star Seydou Doumbia, who will be free to leave the club next summer.
According to reports from TuttoMercatoWeb the Hammers are keeping a watching brief on the Ivory Coast international who having joined the Italian outfit in January, is already is already out on loan at CSKA
Despite a lean spell in Rome the 27-year-old has returned to form, notching three goals in four Champions League appearances this term, as well as five in domestic league action.
However, a Hammers insider told ClaretandHugh: “We have four strikers now and questions being asked about how we can keep them all happy – how many are people expecting us to bring in?
“We have our own scouts looking at players every day – we certainly don’t suddenly think about spending a reported £10 million because a guy is having a hot streak.
It’s not the number it’s the quality – and we’ve only got one quality striker in Sakho – so any additional quality is welcome (and badly needed)!
On the money in my opinion Michael.
A few additional comments further to my earlier entry..
The comments made via the Hammers ‘inside’, stating that we have four strikers etc, fails to address the present position covering the next 12 weeks upon the expected return of both Dimi and Valencia. Even at this early stage, contigency plans should be made for a ‘potential worst case scenario’ (which I failed to address earlier today).
For arguments sake, let us imagine the following position around January/February. While, Dimi and Valencia may be fit to return, it is unlikely that either will be at peak level of fitness or ready to return in a starting role for 90 minute play. So realistically, it could be a minimum of 4 additional weeks before we can really expect their highest level of performance. Since I do not consider either Andy or Nika as anything more than impact players (at best), Even if Sakho and Zarate were to retain a full degree of match fitness, the reality is that we would have only ‘2 out & out central strikers, even allowing for my predicted goal-scoring abilities of Moses, and Antonioi, and possibly Lanzini to fill the void. In the absence of Payet, I think that there is too much ‘pressure & expectation being placed on the talented but young. he can’t be called upon to be an ‘automatic play-maker’ and regular scorer as well. So I am sure that the people who are at the helm (ie Slav & asistants), to assess the potential requirement of 1 or even 2 additional strikers. If they should deem that such additions to the present group are required, then 2 players come to mind.
Doumbia would be a good choice, but at his age and proven ability at CSKA, he may expect to part of the starting XI.
Emmanuel Adebayour is my second choice, as an ‘impact option’, ahead of Carroll and Jelavic. He still has enough motivation, and has proven ‘quality’ ability in his shooting, dribbling, and heading abilities. In addition, he still has good sprint speed. It may require the same efforts fromt Slaven spent in bringing back Mauro from the abyss, but I remain confident that we might expect a higher work-rate effort that he has been of accused of in his last year at Spurs. Daniel Levy treated this fellow in an atrocious manner, so a boost to his self-esteem, might pay handsome dividends for player and club alike. There is no doubt that he is a definite ‘true-blue’ striker, even if limited to an impact role.
However, at the end of the day, all the speculation which ‘flies around’ concerning potential transfers of one player or another, I have come to take with skepticism. Until I see a West Ham shirt on the back of a ‘potentially’ great player, do I start to take things seriously.
I’d welcome any additional comments to what I have suggested so far…
COYI
Maxie
Let us take a more analytical examination of our present group of strikers. First comment is that we really have 5 strikers, if we also consider Nika Jelavic (albeit, another impact player). In addition, we have a number of wingers and attacking mid-fielders, who all possess ‘striker-like skills’, and have proven goal-scoring abilities (Moses, Lanzini, Antonio, and of course, Dimi Payet, allowing for the fact that will not be available for 3 months or so)
Sakho is clearly our number one choice; however, I believe he performs at his best when he works in concert with Enner Valencia, as was so well demonstrated last season. While he is prone to niggling injuries, he has a strong physique, and should be available for most of our games.
Enner Valencia (when fit), is definitely our most potent strker, and can play wide, or as he often does for Ecuador, he can play as an ‘out and out’, center forward (no.9 in the old nomenclature). However he has already suffered one serious injury, and most likely, another one following the Everton game. I hope (speaking in my medical capacity) that he is a naturally ‘good healer’. I am aware that we will be informed of the nature and severity of his latest injury, this Monday. If he requires surgery,as I suspect he may need, then we must monitor how well he recovers from the combined effects of his injury and surgery, respectively. However, for the present time, we must adjust to the likelihood that like Dimi, he may be out for 10-12 weeks.
Mauro Zarate, remains as our only other player, who we can hope, play for the full 90 minutes. He definitely has the a decent past history (ie 2 spells with Velez Sarsfield & Lazio,( where he averaged an approximate 1 in 4 goal-scoring record; not bad, considering the very high defensive qualities which he was up against in both Argentina & Serie A Italian soccer). So he should be considered as a possible starting option for the present time, lining up with Lanzini and Moses, as part of the ‘3’, behind Sakho, up-front. This is based on the assumption that Slaven sticks to his preferred
4-2-3-1 set-up. Should he revert to a system such as a 4-4-2 or even, a 4-3-3 structure, then Zarate could be the accompanying second striker (with Moses or Lanzini the 3rd man in an unlikely, but possible, 3 striker option)
Now, maybe you are expecting me to satet that Carroll and Jelavic should be the 2 preferred ‘impact’ players. Well this is where old Dr.Max differs; if and when one or more of our strikers starts to fade, then I favor keeping up the pressure with pace, and would use Moses and or Antonio as my earliest impact options, and hence relegating Carroll and Jelavic as ‘ 2nd tier’ impact options.. So far this season, I have seen neither Andy or Jelavic (altthough the latter has had little chance to prove himself) to really ‘throw themselves about’, and I have seen little, if any evidence of Andy willing to use his feet to score goals, tather than wait up front for the perfect cross (from Jenks or Cresswell) to head in (which he admittedly did so well in the game against Chelsea). If we want to continue our prersent 2 goals/game scoring average, then I think. in the period while Payet & Valencia are absent, this may work. I Andy or Nika expect to be the preferred impact players, they have to demonstrate 2 important qualities; the afore-mentioned likelihood of goal-scoring, and ability to quickly come back, in order to ‘hold’ the ball up for on-coming attacking mid-fielders. One option remains in their potential utility as ‘impact players’; if Alex Song is still capable of pushing long balls, along the ground (with the previous high degree of accuracy he has shown), then they could potentially remain closer to the opposition’s penalty area, which they have both been used to for the majority of their respective careers.
I agree with the comments, that it would be ‘wonderful to sign on (presumably in the January transfer window) a couple of pacy strikers, who can hit the ball accurately and powerfully with either foot! Great ‘dream-wish’, but 2 possible impediments; such players are relatively rare, and once identified, their parent club would probably want to keep them, or if they came from the likes of Barca, Real, Bayern, Juve, Ajax etc. we would be competing with other cashed-up EPL and/or European clubs who could afford the very likely high transfer fee expected.
So, dear WHU friends, would Maxie’s ideas work ?; at least for the next 12 weeks; if my somewhat bold predictions ‘hold water’,then we could be in an a potentially aamazing position, upon the return of Dimi and Enner,from wherce the dream can potentially remain or even fly higher. Dreaming, I maybe doing, but all WHU fans like to blow their bubbles!
COYI,
Maxie
They are all on contracts of 2 years plus and we are unlikely to get rid so….?
That insider needs to be sacked if he is that deluded.
We need a preferrably young pacy 20 – 25 goal a season striker who can link midfield and attack a proper no 10.
How many do we really have. My ongoing claims that Carroll is most effective for us as an impact sub keeps gaining traction .
Though I have also argued Slav built this team, so that it wouldn’t depend on one ( if we could even get one) super striker, the claim that we actually have four strikers is a bit weak, especially at this moment, with Valencia again missing for several months (is he beginning to look like Carroll) and Sakho seemingly struggling with a host of niggling injuries, we are really down to Zarate as a starter, or at least a completely fit starter