West Ham United will round off their summer spending with a hunt for a back-up striker, according to insider website Claret and Hugh.
The Hammers site, which is a reliable source for exclusive information on the Hammers, report that the club are happy with their options at centre-back and have denied reports of a bid for Croatia international Domagoj Vida.
Claret and Hugh instead claim that the Hammers will work hard on finding a new back-up striker after Andy Carroll suffered another injury setback.
A source is quoted as saying: “We have reinforced at the back but it is clear that with Andy Carroll injured we need to take a look at that situation.
“We want to bring in another striker and will be working hard on that over the next weeks before the window closes.”
OPINION
It has been widely speculated that the Hammers are on the hunt for another centre-back, with Vida, Diego Reyes and Nicolas Nkoulou all linked with the club in recent days. Despite Manuel Pellegrini having signed two centre-backs already this summer, this was a move that seemed to make sense considering the club’s atrocious defensive record last season. However, Pellegrini is said to be happy with his options in that area now, and a striker is the new priority. Carroll’s injury has scuppered the Chilean’s plans up front, and they now have the unenviable task of finding a striker who is happy to play back-up to Marko Arnautovic, who will inevitably begin the season as the starting forward. As stated by the source, there are no names currently available to the club, but the claim that they will be working hard on a deal does suggest this is the final push in the Hammers’ summer business. Hopefully they can get a decent player in and concentrate on preparing for the opening day clash against Liverpool.
