Latest

West Ham fans surely excited by Cole’s Haller verdict

|
Image for West Ham fans surely excited by Cole’s Haller verdict

OPINION

There’s no disputing the fact that West Ham United have lacked a truly top class frontman for many years now, but there is hope that club record signing Sebastien Haller could be that man.

The 25-year-old arrived from Eintracht Frankfurt this summer aiming to be the first Hammer to score more than 11 goals in a Premier League campaign since Marlon Harewood hit 14 in 2005/06 [Source: Premier League].

Former Irons striker Carlton Cole, who bagged 10 in back-to-back seasons between 2008-10, believes the Frenchman can deliver on the hype.

“He seems like a big unit and he seems like he can look after himself.. so I think he could come here and do the job,” he told the Football Daily podcast [14:00]. “Obviously he has to make a few allies over here, so I’ve told him to keep close with Mark Noble and keep close with Winston Reid.”

While Cole was never a goalscorer extraordinaire for the Hammers, he know a thing or two about scoring in a claret and blue shirt, and so the West Ham fans will surely be giddy at his glowing assessment of their new star striker.

The ‘allies’ remark is a bit of a strange one, though. Obviously when you’re coming into a new team you want to quickly forge a positive relationship with the squad, but having certain allies seems a bit weird. Still, having two veteran leaders in Noble and Reid on Haller’s side can only be a good thing for him.

Haller would certainly appear to have the frame to succeed in the Premier League, which is what Cole is getting at, while his success in Germany bodes well also.

As per WhoScored.com, he averaged almost two shots per game last season, while producing 1.3 key passes per outing, which led to him bagging nine assists to go with his 15 Bundesliga goals, with more of both following in other competitions as well.

All the ingredients are there for Haller to be a rip-roaring success at the London Stadium, and Cole’s seal of approval will only get the West Ham fans more excited about watching him play this campaign.

Share this article