As many West Ham United fans would have expected, it has turned into a very busy summer for the club, but it was always going to be a transfer window of change with us knowing that former gaffer David Moyes would be moving on, and that his replacement would be 57 year old Spaniard, Julen Lopetegui.
With the backing of the board, he has attempted to hit the ground running and along with a few departures, we have seen the arrivals of Maximilian Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Guido Rodriguez and most recently Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and if the rumour mill is to be believed we are not finished yet, with another striker being apparently high on his wish list.
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With our spending so far (even with Declan Rice’s departure last season), we need that stability and despite our spending, we have long been linked with Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran this summer. The 20 year old, 10 capped Colombian international, is probably best described as precocious – but not for the usual meaning of the word. He has the physical ability, and the raw talent to potentially become one of the most potent strikers on the planet – a Christian Benteke at his best, a Mario Balotelli before he struggled with a bib, maybe even a Didier Drogba.
But the sum Villa want would make it a huge gamble from our point of view, as Hammer will be aware of his social media antics, as it is not entirely respectful, and it seems like only five minutes ago he was obsessed with Chelsea.
As that speculation seems to move from a permanent deal to a loan and a try before you buy arrangement, we are also being linked with AS Roma’s Tammy Abraham.
The 26 year old, 11 capped England international, has long been highly rated as a poacher and his games to goals ratio has been consistently very good by most standards, but his spell in Serie A has been blighted by injury, and again his record is not too shabby, but it again looks like he find need pastures new in an effort to get back to his best.
La Gazzetta dello Sport have recently stated that Roma have now made him available for around 30 million Euros (far cheaper than the price Duran would cost if speculation is to be believed), and we have been obviously linked as he naturally has previous ties to London from his more lengthy spell with Chelsea.
They also posit that Roma would be more than happy to have a deal structured with 25 million Euros up front, and an additional five million Euros in add on clauses, as given manager Daniele De Rossi has just signed Artem Dovbyk from Girona, Abraham’s game time will again be severely limited this season.
You do not have to look that hard on the internet for most Hammers’ reaction to Duran’s behaviour so far and the general excitement levels on completing a potential deal for him (despite what could be incredible future playing growth), but the reaction to Abraham I am imagining will also be mixed.
There is no denying that he is a quality finisher when fit, but there are also valid concerns with his overall game play given he is predominantly a poacher in the minds of many. He is obviously older, wiser, and more experienced now and he should be coming into the peak playing days of his career – but would he suit us, and having just signed Fullkrug, do we need him anyway?
At least we can enjoy the big kick off this weekend – and it would be Aston Villa and a potential Duran – but deadline day will soon be here, and then we can get to work on January speculation.
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