Five Transfer Targets for Big Sam… in my Humble Opinion

1. Kane Ferdinand – The Southend striker made his professional debut in January this year, and there are already whispers of him moving to the Hammers. The 19 year old midfielder has proved popular for the Seasiders, scoring 8 goals in his first 39 appearances for the club. Ferdinand was born in Newham so would effectively be brought home by the move – plus, what Ferdinand hasn’t pulled on a claret and blue shirt in his career? I think he’s a likely target.

2. Nicky Maynard – West Ham were sniffing around Maynard in the pre-season transfer window, but nothing ever materialised. The striker, currently playing for Bristol City, has fully recovered from the knee injury that kept him out of most of the 2010-11 season, and has scored 6 goals so far in this campaign. I think we need another proven striker as Piquionne is far from a reliable source of goals, and Carew has yet to set the Boleyn alight.

3. Andy O’Brien – The Leeds centre back is a likely target to provide defensive cover for the Hammers. At 32, he wouldn’t necessarily be a long-term prospect but would certainly ease the minds of the Hammers faithful if any of our central defenders got injured. Last weekend, current manager Simon Grayson revealed that O’Brien had refused to play for Leeds and that his career with the Whites was over. This surely means that it would be an easy poach for Allardyce in January?

4. Yossi Benayoun – The Israeli attacking midfielder was massively popular for the Irons when he played for us between 2005-07. But, he left in controversial circumstances when it was thought that he had agreed a new deal at West Ham but instead turned his back on this to move to Liverpool. Currently on loan from Chelsea to Arsenal, I really don’t think Yossi will get a lot of chances. He was a great player for West Ham and I personally would jump at the chance of him coming back to help our push for promotion. It’s a shame that his loan is until the end of the season, as the terms of it would probably prevent this move from happening. Still, a girl can dream!

5. Luciano Becchio – The 28 year old striker is currently playing for Leeds, and has scored over 50 goals for the club in 128 appearances. West Ham need another proven goalscorer, and it looks as if Becchio could be that man. He played for Boca Juniors alongside Tevez, who I’m sure would sing our praises if Becchio needed a push in the right direction! The Argentine could well be lured to Upton Park with our current league position, and the opportunity of playing Premier League football next year.