West Ham’s capture of Emmanuel Emenike could be a very shrewd move by the Club. The forward has often found it difficult to settle in his career but moving to the Hammers could provide the break the striker has been looking for.
A quick, strong and athletic figure, Emenike is certainly tailor-made for the Premier League. He has gone through a number of purple patches in his career but the 28-year-old is more than capable of drifting the other way. Recent reports this season suggest that the striker has been in poor form but if anything can rejuvenate him, a move to a Premier League should certainly do that.
He has often been described as a confidence player. However, the Hammers are flying high this season so he already has the perfect opportunity to make an impression with relatively no pressure on his shoulders. Further still, if he does hit the ground running there should be no confidence issues for the Nigerian who must be hungry to prove a point.
The Hammers have missed the movement of Diafra Sakho up front in recent games, often relying on the likes of Enner Valencia and Nikica Jelavic to fill the void up top. Although Valencia has done well in Sakho’s absence, he still lacks the strength and hold-up play that led to the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet playing off the striker.
Emmanuel Emenike can also provide this type of movement to the Hammers’ front line. A willing runner, the 28-year-old is more than capable of playing up front on his own and his pace will worry defenders. This ultimately leaves gaps for the likes of Payet and Lanzini to operate in the final third ‘pockets’ where West Ham can be very dangerous.
A further advantage linked to Emenike’s arrival is his ability to play in a variety of attacking positions. Although his primary position is the striking role, he has starred for Fenerbahce in more of a wider position where he has proved a valuable option for the Turkish club. His versatility is something that could prove very useful for the rest of the season as we all know just how much Bilic likes playing wide attackers.
Emenike may not be a big-money signing but he is certainly capable of providing that extra bit of quality in attack for the rest of the season. If Hammers fans can get behind the 28-year-old early on, he could prove to be another excellent signing for Slaven Bilic.
