West Ham United are being linked with a number of attacking players in the January transfer window. The Hammers have failed to find the net in their past three games across all competitions. All of those matches ended in defeat, with the latest a 5-0 humiliation by Manchester City in the FA Cup.
West Ham have underperformed so far this season. They find themselves in 13th place, well below expectations given their impressive 7th place finish last term. They have already suffered more Premier League defeats this season (10) than last (8).
The Hammers look especially short up front. Their main striking options of Andy Carroll, Simone Zaza, Diafra Sakho and Andre Ayew have managed just four goals between them. Summer loan-signing Zaza has been especially ineffective, while Sakho is injured and Ayew is away at the African Cup of Nations.
West Ham are therefore highly reliant on goals from midfield. Michail Antonio is their top scorer this season with eight. It is therefore little surprise to hear that the Hammers are in the market for a striker this month. Here are four of their reported targets.
Jermain Defoe
34-year-old Sunderland striker Defoe has already been the subject of a £6 million bid by the London club. He is a proven Premier League marksmen – Defoe has scored at least 10 goals in 10 separate top-flight seasons.
Despite his age, he is Sunderland’s talisman. He has scored 11 out of their 19 league goals so far this season. That is part of West Ham’s problem. Sunderland are digging their heels in over their prized striker. Sky Sports are reporting that West Ham have given up in their pursuit and are switching their attention to other targets.
Moussa Dembélé
Dembélé has attracted interest from West Ham after starring for Celtic so far this season. The 20-year-old has scored 19 goals in 36 games, including three in the Champions League. He has shown remarkable skill and composure in his first season in the spotlight.
The Hammers have seen an informal £20 million bid turned down, with the Scottish club holding out for a significantly higher fee. However, Sportsmail understand that Dembélé is keen to continue his development at Parkhead under Brendan Rodgers.
Scott Hogan
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has stated his admiration for Brentford striker Hogan. He described the 24-year-old Englishman as “a good prospect”, although has so far failed with an initial bid to bring him to the Olympic Stadium. Hogan has netted 14 times already in the Championship this season.
Robert Snodgrass
Snodgrass has been a shining light in Hull’s otherwise difficult campaign. The attacking midfielder has seven Premier League goals from 19 matches. West Ham had a £3 million bid turned down this week, and may need to up their interest with other clubs prepared to move in for Snodgrass.
Bilic will hope that landing at least one of these targets may help turn the team’s form around. He is coming under increasing pressure from the club’s hierarchy, particularly given Friday night’s thrashing at the Olympic Stadium.
the whole board know last night’s performance was not good enough we know we have to improve, Palace and Boro now vital games. 1/3 https://t.co/JhUlniSQV6
— Baroness Karren Brady CBE (@karren_brady) January 7, 2017
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