Despite the frustrations surrounding the striker pursuit so far, it’s easy to forget that West Ham have already made a marquee signing this summer.
Sofiane Feghouli arriving on a free is an excellent bit of business for the Hammers. It seems as if a lot of clubs lost their enthusiasm when the Algerian was frozen out of first team affairs at Valencia in the latter half of last season but there is no denying his talent.
A tricky, quick player with the ability to score and assist goals, Feghouli will provide an excellent option in an attack that already boasts the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet. The latter really took to the English game in his first season and he is now playing the football of his life. If Slaven Bilic can give Feghouli the same sort of freedom in his preferred wide position, the Hammers could have struck gold once more.
A few of you may be thinking that a comparison of Feghouli and Payet could be a little ambitious. However, when Payet arrived at the club last summer he was renowned for being a good player, he just needed to make that step up to the next level.
With a motivator like Slaven Bilic and a 60,000-strong home support next season, Feghouli has a great opportunity to feel like he belongs at a club again. Things turned sour at Valencia after he refused to take part in a warm down and the Algerian will know that he now has a chance to return to his best and make a real impression in the best league in the world.
Like Payet, Feghouli has a point to prove. He is also a crowd pleaser, willing to pull off a spellbinding piece of skill to get people out of their seats. He is clever with the ball and uses it effectively, becoming a threat rather than a mere showboat.
There hasn’t been too much hype surrounding the Algerian’s arrival, but this fantastic selection of highlights from Feghouli’s Valencia career may keep fans satisfied in the wait for a new striker:
