West Ham United could sign their new Michail Antonio in January as £33m striker 'offered' to PL clubs
West Ham United could sign their next Michail Antonio as the Hammers’ need for striking options continues
A promising run for West Ham United under Nuno Espirito Santo has begun to falter in recent weeks, with the Hammers now finding themselves five points adrift of safety as we approach the New Year.
The east London giants have not been in the second tier since promotion via the play-offs in 2011/12 and achieved European glory just over two years ago when former captain Declan Rice lifted the Conference League trophy thanks to a Jarrod Bowen winner.
Bowen is now the Hammers captain himself and an England regular, but has had to shoulder a large portion of the goalscoring responsibilities for Espirito Santo’s side as their lack of fit strikers continues to be a worry. Callum Wilson has scored four times this season despite making just six starts, and is the only fit senior striker at the club as injury-plagued Niclas Fullkrug closes in on a January move to AC Milan.
It could be one of Milan’s Serie A rivals who provide West Ham with the remedy to their growing problem, as a new striker in January becomes paramount in the club’s survival hopes.
West Ham could sign their new Michail Antonio
West Ham have been searching for a new goalscoring talisman in recent seasons ever since the injury problems and subsequent departure of Michail Antonio but might find the man they have been looking for in the shape of Roma striker Artem Dovbyk.
The former Girona hitman has been ‘offered’ to a host of Premier League sides according to TEAMtalk, with West Ham reported to be one of the sides in question. They might have to rival Leeds United, Sunderland and Everton for his signature. The player was signed for £33 million from Girona just 18 months ago but could be available for an initial loan deal.
The 28-year-old has only scored twice in Serie A this season and is not believed to be in the long-term plans of head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, despite scoring 17 times in a productive first season in Rome. In his one and only season with Girona, Dovbyk scored 24 league goals and was awarded the Pichichi trophy as La Liga top scorer. While he is at this point untested in England, a loan deal could provide a low-risk, high-reward option for West Ham.
Dovbyk could score the goals necessary to save West Ham
The comparisons between Dovbyk and Antonio are clear for West Ham. Standing at 6ft 2in tall, the Ukrainian’s blend of sheer physicality and raw pace in the mould of the Jamaican would suit Nuno’s set-up perfectly, offering the Portuguese a target man similar to Chris Wood while also possessing the pace on the counter-attack akin to the likes of Bowen and Crysencio Summerville.
With Bowen and Wilson remaining in the squad, the pressure on Dovbyk to deliver instantly could be managed as the frontman adapts to his new surroundings. However, there would certainly be a hope that the former Dnipro and Midtjylland star can score the goals necessary to keep the Hammers afloat in the division.
Bringing in a striker to the Premier League from overseas always has its risks, but the signing of Dovbyk could prove to be a masterstroke for the Hammers, reminding fans of the days when Antonio would terrorise defences across the division and beyond on the club’s journey to European glory.