OPINION
Recently it has appeared that, despite their best efforts, West Ham United may not be able to bring in their chosen attacking targets this summer.
Claret & Hugh recently reported that the chances of the Hammers signing any of Aleksandar Mitrovic, Maxi Gomez, Salomon Rondon and Moussa Marega is between 5% and 10%.
Any hopes of them bringing the latter to the London Stadium took a severe hit on Wednesday when the Daily Mirror reported that Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers are leading the race for the Porto frontman.
This comes after Portuguese outlet A Bola near enough suggested that it was a done deal that the Mali international would end up in east London this summer.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini and director of football Mario Husillos are at a bit of a crossroads now, as it appears that they may face a summer when all of their desired striking targets get away from them.
Marega is the latest attacker who may escape the net. Given that he plys his trade in Portugal, it’s no surprise that Wolves have entered the picture. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side appear to have a monopoly over the finest talent coming out of that country, so this isn’t a shock.
However, it would be a big blow were West Ham to miss out on someone they have been tracking since at least last summer, when ESPN reported that they were in talks for the 28-year-old.
Whether Marega is the leading striking candidate for the Hammers or not, he is certainly the most proven in terms of European football. He scored six goals in nine Champions League games for Sergio Conceição’s side this season, before they were eliminated by Liverpool.
So he’s a proven goalscorer, but may end up being another attacking transfer target who falls by the wayside for Pellegrini’s team. That would be a big shame, and would leave the Chilean scratching his head.
