With only 8 goals scored in our opening 10 Premier League matches, it is obvious to everyone that it was huge mistake not to at the very least have bought one quality back-up striker to Andy Carroll in the summer transfer window. When it became clear that Carroll was going to be out for an extended period of time, we only had the hapless Modibo Maiga to fall back on at the start of the season. We have since bought in Carlton Cole (again) and Mladen Petric, but it is clear to Hammers fans that none of these strikers are going to be a true solution to our lack of goals.
The owners blamed the new financial fair play regulations for this (something they themselves pushed for), as they claimed wages needed to be freed up in order to make another signing, but I do not buy this. Firstly, the regulations do not come into force until 2015, and it certainly dosen’t appear to have affected rival clubs. Secondly, we had all summer to ship out players that are no longer going to be regulars in order to reduce the wage bill, and instead of selling the likes of Matt Taylor and Maiga early in the summer we did nothing until the final day, when we tried to sell Ricardo Vaz Te to Norwich City. Thirdly, wages appeared to suddenly be available to get Cole and Petric onto our playing staff which surely couldn’t have been done if what David Gold and David Sullivan said was true.
So therefore I expect us to buy or loan at least one quality striker as soon as possible in the forthcoming January transfer window, regardless of whether Carroll is fit by then, as we cannot be left in this situation again. Lacking a single striker, especially considering the system Allardyce plays could conceivably keep us in a relegation battle all campaign, even though the rest of our team are pretty good in my opinion. So what options are there for us to go for, keeping in mind the one striker target man system that Allardyce employs? I would rather we went for someone who we definitely know can perform well in the Premier League, as I think going for an unknown foreigner with no Premier League experience is very risky in a lone front man position. This has backfired on us before now.
A player that we apparently tried to sign right at the end of the previous window was our former striker Demba Ba at Chelsea, with whom we are again being linked with. This would be a great move if we could pull this off. Although Chelsea has proved to be beyond his level, both at West Ham and Newcastle United he has shown what a quality all round striker he is. Goal scoring wise at us and Newcastle, he has managed 37 goals in just 67 appearances in the Premier League, a fantastic ratio, especially for the level of club he was at. Aside from just the goals, he ticks all the boxes for coming to West Ham now. He is strong, good in the air and can hold the ball up well, all traits that are especially useful with an Allardyce style centre forward. I think we could also purchase him for knockdown fee. He dosen’t seem to be getting any sort of playing time at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho and I imagine they would accept a significant loss on their £7 million purchase. Either that or a loan deal may be possible until the end of the season.
Another option to possibly attempt to go for, but perhaps less likely to succeed in, is Tottenham Hotspurs’ Emmanuel Adebayor. Everyone knows that on his day the big striker is a real class act, as he has shown in bursts at Arsenal, Manchester City and Spurs. He is very good at holding the ball up to feet and bringing others into play, and has provided many assists as well as goals, and well capable of leading the line on his own. Indeed he has notched up an impressive 83 goals in 196 appearances in the Premier League. I think Tottenham would be willing to part with the Togo International too, as he dosen’t seem to get a look in at the moment, and I imagine they would like his sizeable wages off the wage bill. No doubt they would play hardball as per usual, but a loan deal until the end of the season may be a possibility.
My main concern with Adebayor, aside from the huge wages he would demand, is his temperament. At each of the clubs he has been at in England, he has always got off to a good start, but then his form seems to fall away, and sometimes dosen’t always look too interested. However, if we could persuade him to come to Upton Park and be motivated to play for us, we could have a quality striker on our hands.
Another striker who could be a potential option for us, is Nicklas Bendtner at Arsenal. He has his fair share of critics, and I think it is clear to all that he is certainly not as good as he thinks he is, but nonetheless I think he could be a useful addition for our team, were we to obtain his services on loan. While he dosen’t have a fantastic goal scoring record in his career, and I personally think he is not good enough for a Champions League Club, he has always shown glimpses of quality. At Sunderland on loan a couple of years ago, I was quite impressed with how he played there leading the line on his own, and I would be hopeful that he could match that form for us. I think Arsenal would be willing to loan him as long as they could buy another striker in January. It would be more a question of whether Bendtner would be willing to join us.
So those would be my three first choice options to try and sign in January. They are all very good on their day and could potentially fit into our style of play very well. The main problem with getting any striker in, is if they were willing to play second fiddle to Andy Carroll, of whom we have made it clear would always be our first choice, assuming he is fit by then of course. But we need someone who we know can score, that’s for sure.
Bentner is FKIN rubbish!!! …. please excuse my language but i will be seriously deluded if that’s the player we sign to solve our problems.
bendtner. adebayor, seriously? Words fail me….
Bendtner is a horrendous shout, what have you seen of him over the past 5 seasons to suggest he’s good enough to don the claret and blue?
So Ba who has scored less than 5 goals this season, Adebayor who hasn’t scored this season, and Bendtner who hasn’t scored this season?
Awful piece
The three should be Jelavic (wouldn’t want him though), Ba (who isn’t really my favourite striker as he is far too slow) and, obviously, Defoe!
I’ve never seen us linked to Adebayor and I’m really glad we’re aren’t
Too lazy
Just like Maiga
And Bendtner is just a slow lump, like Cole
Defoe is a poacher, something we lack big time
traitor defoe yeah lets all get that twat lol
I agree Arun,
Defoe has a great talent and a very keen eye for the net. I know he has had his differences with the fans in the past but i for one am willing to forgive him (mostly) due to his comments to the press. I know some of the fans wont respond kindly if he does come back but we are so short on goals and if a player like Defoe (sitting on the bench at whl) is wanting to come back to Upton park and can get us the goals we need to push us to where we should be in the table then i will welcome him with open arms.
lol this is so much fun wtf three not so good player wanting silly money we have strickers better than this and they cant put a ball in the net how about some one who knows what the net looks like
West ham shoud go for Defoe he is a very good player god shorts
Ba or Defoe could still play in a team with or without andy Carroll. Forget about the others.
We have tried for all three of these players, they will not entertain a club not playing in Europe. As they are as good as Messi and Ronaldo, me thinks deluded players equal no transfer.
Adebayor?? You have to be kidding, apart from being Cancer in the dressing room, he’s all washed up….
Ba or/and Defoe better, but Sam only plays one up front, and I’m taller than Defoe!
No Africans please only good for one season, after signed a contract for 4.
I had a nightmare last night,gooners offer their donkey-N B- in a swap for winston reid-sam ponders the offer thinking its a good deal,accepts,and cant understand why hammers fans are calling for him to be sacked.joking aside,none of the players being linked with us are worth a punt,romelu lukaku is one i think would be good for west ham.
Ba or Defoe would be brilliant signings. My worry is that if we sign another big striker we’ll go straight back to lumping it long and he’ll get dropped and pissed off as soon as Carroll is back.
Much better to sign a player that suits our current passing game and who could play with Carroll.
As many others have said, Bendtner is useless and Adebeyor is more trouble than he is worth
lukaku is out of league now,Ba or baby judas
Ba and Adebayor no way. The former because he made Defoe look positively loyal after buggering off after we gave him a huge chance, then threw it back in our face, and the latter because hes a waste of space. Even Vaz Te would look like an all-action Hero compared to him.
Jermaine Defoe is the answer provided BSF finally realises that two strikers might actually result in MORE GOALS (rocket science it aint boys !!!).
Defoe is one of the best ever natural finishers the Prem. has seen and I for one would welcome him back if he could end this dire, dull style of play and actually get some shots on goal…………that’s the white frame with nets Sam at both ends of the pitch….the one where the opposition keeper normally stands in and reads a newspaper or checks his e.mails while we pass to each other in the centre of the pitch……
Its a must happen in January, Cole wasn’t and isn’t good enough. Maiga hasn’t shown enough. Petric is ok on his day but not enough good days left in him. We must sign a quality number nine in January or its definite relegation. Andy Carroll could have been the answer, but for the foreseeable future he is not going to be available. None of the above with the exception of Jermaine Defoe would be exceptable. Am also concerned with the number of 30+ in the squad.
How painfully obvious after yesterdays game is it? We need to play a striker. Nolan playing up top is a complete embarrassment. I am 49 and overweight, but I shall polish my boots this week cos I must have shout of being in. I can shout at referees and look slow and indecisive, let me know BFS!! Good Captain or not we are carrying him completely and I think one or two in the team are starting to feel like that too. Big NO to Bendtner and Adebayor, would entertain Ba or Defoe though, we need goals.