OPINION
The hottest frontman in Europe right now doesn’t go by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, nor even Neymar.
The most in-form attacker on the continent is in fact the little known Krzysztof Piatek of middling Italian side Genoa. The Poland international has taken Italian football by storm this season and is someone West Ham United should be making a January move for.
Goalscorers of this calibre don’t come along very often, especially not at 23 years of age. Piatek is a player who could lead the line for the Hammers for the next decade.
The 6ft striker’s [Source: Transfermarkt] statistics this season are scarcely believable. In seven games in all competitions the Pole has netted 12 times.
He scored all four goals in a 4-0 thumping of Lecce in the Italian Cup in August, and has registered eight strikes in six Serie A games this campaign, scoring in every game he’s played.
Piatek is currently scoring a goal every 67 minutes in the Italian top flight, and doing so in a Genoa team that no one expects to occupy their current sixth place position come the end of the season.
Those are the sort of numbers generated only by Ronaldo and Messi. The challenge, of course, will be maintaining his goal record over the course of the season, but he is certainly off to a good start.
West Ham can ensure they have a long term replacement for Javier Hernandez by snaring Piatek in January. The Mexican is 30 and has struggled with injuries of late; the Hammers need a new, top class striker.
Marko Arnautovic is performing miracles at the head of the West Ham team at the moment but the Austrian is only a year younger than Hernandez at 29.
Signing Piatek would be tricky if his current form continues, but top teams may consider the 23-year-old too unproven a prospect for them to take a risk on.
West Ham would be an ideal next step for the striker while representing a brilliant bit of business from Manuel Pellegrini. The Chilean should consider checking out some Italian football the next time he gets a chance, he might just find his next star striker.
