The £20m 'revelation' West Ham attacking midfield signing they could snatch from Bournemouth this summer

While every team could argue they need a successful summer transfer window more than the rest, West Ham look like one of the most desperate as they attempt to arrest their slide since winning the Conference League in 2023. Walking away from European hero Moyes 12 months ago in search of a new hand on the tiller who could give the Hammers better results through an exciting attacking identity, Julen Lopetegui took over in the dugout offering none of those.

He was also asked to take a walk after eight months and Graham Potter is now the man calling the shots ahead of the transfer window opening in June. West Ham have showed some signs of improvement on the pitch but that has been masked by a rotten record of four wins in 17 - one of which came against Leicester.

As has been the case for most of the last 20 years, the Hammers are searching for a frontman as Evan Ferguson joins the depressingly long list of accomplished strikers that have completely wilted amongst the bubbles including Sebastien Haller, Javier Hernandez, Emmanuel Emenike, Nikica Jelavic and John Carew.

But it will take more than one striker signing to fix one of the most toothless attacks in the Premier League - and if their history is anything to go by, West Ham could sign Erling Haaland and he’d score four goals next season anyway. Attacking midfielder is high up the priority list and according to Foot Mercato, who described him as a ‘revelation’, Bournemouth’s Hamed Junior Traore has caught their attention after impressing with 10 goals on a season-long loan at AJ Auxerre.

Ten-goal talent Hamed JUnior Traore has caught Graham Potter’s eye

Aged 25, Traore broke through at Sassuolo and fired 16 goals in three Serie A seasons before Bournemouth scooped him up in January 2023 - though the Ivorian has failed to recreate those number for the Cherries and was sent out on loan to Napoli and Auxerre.

That spell in Burgundy has revived Traore though, and Bournemouth could be looking to cash in on the mercurial attacker, or at least recoup the £21.5m they paid for him. More of a goal threat than a creator, Traore ranks in the top quintile for scoring and xG excluding penalties compared to other attacking midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues, while his assist tally isn’t really anything to write up about.

With Lucas Paqueta’s future remaining in doubt, Jarrod Bowen potentially on the move and Mohammed Kudus slumping from 18 goals to four from 2023/24 to this season West Ham desperately need to boost their attacking options. Even Traore simply replicating his haul from this season would make him worth the investment, though there are question marks over whether he can truly adapt to the Premier League.

Auxerre sit comfortably in mid-table and Traore, playing the majority of his minutes on the left wing but also spending plenty of time in the right or centrally, has netted against Lyon and Brest who both progressed in UEFA competitions this season, plus second-place Marseille.

A hamstring injury kept him from adding to that tally throughout April, and may well have damaged his value in an otherwise bulletproof season in terms of injuries. That was one of the key factors that hampered his progress at Bournemouth, alongside illness, and Traore has only scored 11 goals since his last full season in Italy.

So he’d certainly be a gamble, but perhaps one worth taking especially if West Ham spend less on a striker than planned - reported top targets (somewhat optimistically) include the in-demand Jonathan David and Hugo Ekitike.

Hammers locked in cross-continental battle for Traore

With Traore’s best career spell coming in Serie A, it’s perhaps no surprise that Fiorentina, Atalanta and Bologna are all keen to bring him back to the boot. The latter two can offer him the carrot of European football having qualified for the Champions League and Europa League respectively, and Fiorentina might enjoy leverage of a different kind.

Born in the Ivory Coast, Traore moved to Italy at an early age and came through the youth ranks at Empoli, joining when he was 15 and making his senior debut with the club. Florence is just down the road from Empoli and Raffaele Palladino will surely be making that opportunity to return to Tuscany part of his pitch to land Traore.

Nice are also reportedly interested in keeping Traore in Ligue 1 after booking their place in the Champions League qualifiers for next season - though it’s unclear whether that’s contingent on Sir Jim Ratcliffe firing any more cleaners and canteen staff either at Carrington or the Allianz Riviera.

Bournemouth appear to have taken the likely wise decision to sell if the price is right, and another chance to prove himself in the Premier League would be hard to turn down for Traore who would hope a healthy spell is just what he needs to find his feet.