Latest

FIVE suggestions for West Ham to consider

|

Nikica JelavicWith a second striker being looked at as a back-up/strike partner for Andy Carroll, what are the realistic possibilities available to West Ham?

Peter Odemwingie-

Since January it has become clear that Odemwingie’s time at the West Brom is up;

The player failed to conduct himself in an appropriate manner when trying to force a move to QPR and found himself virtually exiled from the club, before such events occurred Peter proved that he was a capable goal scorer for the Midlands club.

With the player and the club hoping to move on its inevitable that Odemwingie will leave; so it would be a transfer that would come quite cheap. With the player’s fondness for expressing his problems on Twitter-and the way he conducted himself in recent months, some may say it’s not worth the gamble.

Salomon Kalou-

The Ivorian international could assist Carroll in a couple of ways; during his time at Chelsea, Kalou proved that he could play on the wing and as an attacker.

Upon leaving Chelsea to join Lille, Kalou has continued to impress those around him and reported interest from West Ham has gained momentum, recently.

Personally I would love to see Salomon at West Ham, he could inject some much needed pace into the squad and work alongside Andy Carroll instead of filling in for him every so often.

Nikica Jelavic-

We were once on the verge of signing Jelavic from Rangers, until the player chose Everton instead. The move worked wonders for the player,  as the Croatian made an instant impact at Goodison Park, scoring 11 goals from the time he joined up until the end of the season.

Last season didn’t go to plan for the striker; poor form and lack of goals meant that Jelavic lost his first team spot to Victor Anichebe,

With people questioning his future at the club would it be worth reigniting the interest we once showed?

With the arrival of Roberto Martinez, it is unknown whether the former Wigan boss has the striker in his plans but there is no doubt that on form Jelavic can score goals and provide some competent cover for AC.

Duvan Zapata

This deal is getting ever closer, the only problem in our way is securing a work permit for the Columbian. Up until recently I didn’t know who Zapata was; after a quick YouTube search you will find a few videos of the player scoring for fun.

Admittedly not the most eye catching goals you’ll ever see but as long as he can replicate that form in a West Ham shirt, I don’t care!

A deal in the region of £6.7 million is being thrown around; which makes me wonder could we of got a decent Premier League, European or Championship goal-scorer for that amount?

With any luck Duvan can mirror the form of fellow countryman Radamel Falcao, if the work permit application goes well, of course.

Luke Moore

A slight wild-card pick on this one. Luke Moore has been around for years now, so it surprises me to find out that he is only 27, although he isn’t the most consistent goal-scorer on the list; as an impact player alone Moore has proven very effective.

Last season Luke showed a glimpse of the form that had him so highly rated from a young age and with it being confirmed that the player intends on leaving Swansea I think this could be a gamble worth taking. The Swansea fans I have spoken to were disappointed when they heard that Moore wanted to leave, at they felt he never really got a solid enough chance to prove the ability he clearly has. As a cheap alternative I feel that Moore could do a good job at any Premier League team outside the top 4.

All these picks are based on how realistic a chance with have of getting them; hence the reason players like Messi were not included! If you feel I have missed anybody get back to me with your own list.

For more on my West Ham articles visit http://avidhammer.blogspot.co.uk/

Share this article

14 comments

  • James Blackmore says:

    Zapata and Kalou is the right direction to go. I would like to think Jelavic could deliver for us, but that’s a bit more 50/50 in my books. Odemwingie would have a point to prove and his not a bad player. But Luke Moore is a certainly a no go. He would be a step back and he is more Championship standard if I am honest.

  • blimey says:

    None of them really excite me, and i wonder if Carlton Cole was really that bad…..

  • Flamineo says:

    Concerned about Zapata. Nothing I’ve heard or seen suggests he’s worth the money or the gamble, though I’d take Kalou all day long.

  • Ausie John says:

    Zapata is all class have a look in youtube if not then Hooper and Kalou , they r my 3 options , dont want Ba need pace beside Carroll

  • ian says:

    kalou is reportedly on 70k a week at lille,so theoretically we would have to match that,and for me he isn 70k a week player.
    odemwingie?do we really want a trouble maker in our squad having worked so hard to create the team spirit we now have?
    the jelavic shout for me is a great call,if we can get him replicating his early everton form.
    another wideman is a must if you ask me,mcmanaman from wigan or anros townsend could both be great pick ups,and as always a loan to buy for scott sinclair 🙂
    but i fear we missed a couple of bargains when you look at what norwch paid for redmond and olson.and that leroy fer pick up of theres oozes a quality signing to me

    • ian says:

      should of also put-charlie austin-i no he failed a medical at hull,but demba ba did the same at stoke a week before we signed him,and carlton cole was failing medicals left right and centre,neither of them missed much game time the past few seasons.so if the zapata deal falls through then charlie austin could be a great cheap pick up,and with what money we save on the zapata deal we could acquire kevin doyle from wolves

      • Jack Grey says:

        Great Shout with Charlie Austin! Like Zupata he doesn’t score screamers but he is always in the right place at the right time…I personally think that maybe signing Scott Sinclair on Loan would be a great move. He is an aggressive attacking player that can play along side Carroll. I’d also like to see Maiga get a proper opportunity.

  • Graham says:

    How can you judge a player on youtube videos? Its just ridiculous. You could make Emily Heskey look good if you just cut and paste all his goals together.
    West Ham have a scouting network in south america so the club have to trust these people when they come back and say a player has potential otherwise it is a waste of time paying them to be out there.
    Kalou i like, but only for the right money. We do not need someone looking for one last big payday like Freddie Ljungberg. Luke Moore…. we would be better off with Carlton Cole. Odemwingie might be worth a punt. I’d wouldn’t be disapointed with west ham going for Darren Bent and they should monitor the Papiss Cisse situation as there is rumoured to be a falling out at Newcastle. COYI

  • Mike says:

    Please stop watching players on YouTube and deciding on players’ ability from that. Julien Faubert looks like David Beckham with pace on YouTube but clearly we know that not to be the case as the vast majority of his crosses ended up in row Z and I don’t recall him ever beating a fullback before he was shunted to RB.

  • tomino says:

    Thank christ you’re not our chief scout.

  • Westhamjohnny says:

    Luke Moore no chance. I think we need 3 main centre forwards we have Andy Carroll so 2 good back ups that would suit me would be any of these S.Kalou, G.Hooper, D.Zapata and a cheap option I think who could do a good job would be K.Doyle. I think if we got Zapata then we’d need someone with prem experience either kalou or Doyle would do me.

  • JC says:

    If you think about our forward line up is trying to go with the same setup as had Chelsea had it when Mourinho was in charge. Target man up-front with 2 pacey/tricky wingers on the flanks and a decent attacking midfielder who can score goals. If Carroll is fit for the whole season then we will see the best of Kevin Nolan but mind you he was our top scorer with 10 goals last season, not bad for a midfielder in the Prem.

    Luke Moore would be a joke to be honest. Much better options out there like Hooper and the one you mentioned, Jelavic. Zapata would have to prove himself but would like to see the lad given a chance. Shame we didn’t get Bony.

  • tom says:

    Darren bent and kalou i wud like.i watched zapata and youtube he looked clumsey and his goals wernt of good quality looked like luck dont want to judge him 2 much as we know nothing about him but i am concernd about the fee and if he is just a poor and expensive carlton cole.i hope i am wrong but i wouldnt be sad if he didnt get a permit.kalou would add class and look good with carrol and bent would get the goals

  • mt says:

    Remy,Rhodes,Defoe,Bent and Zapata would be my five to ponder at the moment.

Comments are closed.