The right calibre?

With just over a week in January remaining, the transfer window seems to be drawing to a close. After a successful start to the season, the Hammers sit second in the table behind Southampton on goal difference. The reason why we are not top? Simple, we haven’t scored enough goals this season. The proof of this is evident in the Championship top 10 goal scorers table and guess whose top? Rickie Lambert the prolific Saints striker with 15 goals followed by McCormack of Leeds with 11 and Vaz Te of Burnley with 10, West Ham’s presence in this table is non-existent and this where we find our problem.

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By the 31^st the Hammer’s need to have secured the service of an out and out goalscorer, there is no lack in the amount of strikers we’ve been linked with this transfer window, all of which have proved themselves in the Championship but are they cut out for the Barclays Premier League? That is the question we need to be asking ourselves if we are to become a top flight team once again.

Firstly, Jordan Rhodes- there is the no doubt the 21 year old is a natural striker with his extremely impressive goal scoring record this season he is definitely one to watch. In my opinion, by trying to sign the young Scotsmen we are chasing a lost cause as his current club Huddersfield have insisted he will remain a Terriers’ player at least until the summer, the chances of Rhodes becoming a West Ham player are very unlikely, therefore we need to focus on signing another striker before the January transfer window slams firmly shut.

West Ham have once again expressed their interest in Billy Sharp, the Sheffield born Doncaster Rovers striker is in my opinion a top class striker. Sharp has notched 10 goals this season for Rovers who currently sit at the bottom of the Npower Championship. Scoring 10 goals in any league deserves recognition but to net 10 times for Doncaster Rovers of which the striker is part of an average side I believe is a great achievement. Leicester City have attempted to lure the 25 year old away from the South Yorkshire side, but the striker has opted against a move to the Midlands, manager Dean Saunders revealed that he is still fighting to keep his leading scorer.

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Amongst the strikers linked with the Hammers are Bristol City’s Nicky Maynard and Watford’s Marvin Sordell. So far this season Maynard has scored 8 goals in 28 appearances one less than Carlton Cole. No doubt Maynard is a good Championship striker, but we are building for the Premier League can he cut it at the highest level? I believe he can he is a pacey striker who had a terrific goal scoring record at Crewe, where he had come through the club’s youth system, Maynard has proved his quality in the Championship for several seasons now and I believe he has enough quality to make the large step up into the Premier League. Sordell however I believe lacks experience, only ever playing senior football at Watford and on loan at Tranmere Rovers. This season the Harlow born front man has netted 8 times in 24 league experiences. The fact is Maynard and Sharp have been making a name for themselves for a number of seasons now and I feel that they are ready for higher tier English football nut Sordell still only 20 years of age could just lack that bit of experience to make the climb.

Many strikers have excelled in the Championship and have been tipped to be the next striker to take the Premier League by storm, some have succeeded these expectations for example Everton’s Tim Cahill cost a bargain 1.5 million back in 2004 and he has proved to be a brilliant purchase, more recently Danny Graham of Swansea has been prolific this current season after his transfer from Watford last Summer. Yet, there have been a number of strikers who have mastered the Championship but flopped in the top flight; players like Sylvan Ebanks- Blake scored 48 goals in 2 seasons in the Championship for Wolverhampton Wanderers but once promoted has only managed to score 10 goals in three seasons for the club.

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Can the players West Ham have been linked with cut it in the Premier League? We will cross that bridge when we come to it but for now lets get promoted. COYI!!!