OPINION
West Ham must act now in the reported race for FSV Mainz attacker Yoshinori Muto as Newcastle United are currently discussing a possible £9million deal to sign the forward.
The Hammers are thought to be keen on the 26-year-old forward as a report by reliable German newspaper BILD stated their interest earlier this month.
However it seems the Hammers’ Premier League rivals the Magpies are currently more likely to capture the player’s signature as talks are advancing between them and FSV Mainz over a potential deal.
The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday that Rafa Benitez’s side were moving ahead in their pursuit of Muto as talks were advancing with the Bundesliga side and that the Magpies hoping to pay £9million for his services.
Given the respectable fee that Muto may be sold for then the Hammers should act now on their previously reported interest in order to sign the forward this summer.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side could do with recruiting a capable new attacker this summer as they are without Andy Carroll for at least three months, as stated by the club’s official website, and Muto fits the bill.
The 26-year-old may not be the most clinical finisher in football, he scored 10 goals in 30 outings in his latest campaign, but he works very hard for the team.
Muto always puts in a shift when he takes to a football field to give his side the best chance of winning and his work-ethic could aid the Hammers in the final portion of games in order to ensure they get the result they want.
It seemed very likely that Carroll would be cover for Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic in the upcoming season so it’s easy to imagine that whatever forward is recruited to cover his loss, will find themselves on the bench regularly.
Muto would flourish in this role due to the type of player he is and it would give him time to learn about the Premier League.
This all means that the Hammers must act now in the reported race for Muto as it seems the Magpies are already one step ahead as they’re currently discussing a potential £9million deal in order to sign him.
