Should QPR’s Charlie Austin be no. 1 on Slaven Bilic’s striker list?
With Darren Randolph and Pedro Obiang in the bag early and hopefully Carl Jenkinson set to sign up for another season on loan, West Ham fans are hoping for the next few recruits to be players who can affect the game in the final third of the pitch, with a striker, creative midfielder and winger being ideal.
On the striker front we have been linked with a whole host of names in Loic Remy, Charlie Austin, Andre-Pierre Gignac and even former Hammer of the Year, Carlos Tevez, amongst others.
Of course we would all love Carlos to play in the final season at the Boleyn Ground but it’s highly unlikely to happen and whilst none of the other names mentioned are to be sneered at, there is another former Hammer that fits the bill perfectly and I believe we have every chance of getting him.
We as West Ham fans generally seem more obsessed than most about former players returning but the return of Demba Ba would be a perfect signing for us right now. While we are looking to sign younger players all over the pitch, an experienced, proven goal machine to help with the workload up front, would be a very shrewd move.
Ba at 30 years old is no has-been either. Last season he bagged 18 league goals in just 29 games for Besiktas, plus adding a further 8 goals in Europe as well, as the Turkish outfit reached the knock out stages of the Europa League.
Which brings me on to our new gaffer, Slaven Bilic, who of course was Ba’s manager last year at Besiktas. Reports in the press recently revealed that Ba rates Bilic very highly and thinks he will do well for us, which is another obvious tick in the box.
Whilst Andy Carroll is still at the club, I would like to see us sign a tall, strong, quick, energetic striker, like Ba, who can play with Carroll or without him, and along alongside Sakho and Valencia.
Charlie Austin is a very good, interesting player, who had a fantastic season for QPR but I can’t see him and Carroll playing alongside each other, as they would not be enough of a threat in behind a defence because of their lack of pace. It would be one or the other to play with Sakho or Valencia, which limits our options a bit.
If Carroll was to leave then I would love to see Austin or Gignac as his replacement but right now Demba Ba has the right kind of attributes to complement the other three strikers that we already have.
With 43 goals in 99 Premier League appearances (including 7 goals in 12 apps for West Ham), Demba Ba has a proven record at this level over a substantial amount of time. He does move from club to club, maybe to chase another signing on fee but he always produces the goods wherever he has been.
With him hardly playing international football for Senegal these days either, he could concentrate on giving us West Ham fans a couple of excellent seasons.
He knows the club, the manager and where the back of the net is so for a fee of around £5m, Demba Ba is an absolute no-brainer as ‘Arry would say.
Here’s a reminder of how Demba Ba performed for West Ham in his short stint at the club:
I think a strike force of Valencia, Sakho, Austin & Remy would be great. Move Carroll back to Newcastle, pass on Ba & Tevez as expectations of returning ‘heroes’ are never achieved.
Spot on. We need rattling new talent or confirmed quality NOT old heroes living on past glories
With out doubt a proven injury free goal scorer with some mileage in him (AUSTIN) No settling in only a move across London ,We stopped buying crocks and oldies when Allardyce left, We are stuck with Carroll whether we like it or not,He’s not a prolific goal scorer even when fit so why don’t we try to convert him to a emergency central defender which would then allow us to strengthen elsewhere.
Michy Batshuayi. Or buy out Luciano Vietto’s clause.
Get rid of Carroll and zarate and try for Remy and gignac, plus we needa lose dead weight like Jarvis and Nolan
Agree with Jarvis and Nolan, add Obrien to that aswell – Caroll wont be going anywhere, he isnt for sale, Zarates future will depend on his attitude, he may not last until the window closes, but imo WH would be mad not to bring Ba in for the next 2 seasons, he has good ties with Bilic anyway, he scored 18 in 29 and 8 more in the Europa League last season, his PL record is 40+ in 90 odd games, he can play in any system and with anyone, Austin isnt versatile enough to play in any system or with anyone and at 15 mil does not represent good value, we could easily find another Sakho for quality and value in Europe at a far cheaper price, but we will still need 2 more forwards, Remy may come over but i think his wage demands will be a big issue, but adding 2 more forwards to our squad even with Caroll will give us greater diversity and versatility in our attacking play – our larger spending should go on playmakers in midfield where we require more depth than anywhere else, CD we are fine with 5 options plus Kouyate slips in easily in emergencies, RB Jenks wants back in, we have Hendrie but we will also need competition –
Remy and Sakho up front, take Ba as well as back up, sell Carroll, Valencia on the wing, bring in another fast winger and skill full, buy payet and cobayne, sell Nolan and javis, keep zarate and buy song, keep jenkinson then we have a 6th spot team under super new manager BIlic!