“One potential target is Panathinaikos front-man Fotis Ioannidis, who was on the Hammers’ shortlist in the summer.”
TalkSport’s Alex Crook recently reported that West Ham United are already looking for Niclas Fullkrug’s replacement, despite only signing the German in the summer.
Fullkrug’s Premier League career has been one to forget for the German international, he is currently sidelined after picking up a calf injury in September.
The Hammers have not had the start they would have wanted, picking up just two wins and finding themselves in 15th place, just five points above the relegation zone.
Missing Fullkrug could be pointed at as a big factor in this, as the £27.m signing has only featured for 63 minutes in the league, leaving Julen Lopetegui to rely on Michail Antonio, who Fullkrug was bought in to replace.
However, it would appear that Hammers top brass has already admitted defeat with the transfer after reports from Crook suggest they are already looking at a new signing in January.
Crook wrote on TalkSport: “In Fullkrug’s absence, Michail Antonio has led the line up front, but manager Julen Lopetegui does not see the Jamaican as a long-term solution, and is putting pressure on the hierarchy to dip into their pockets in January.
He impressed last season after picking up 23 goals and nine assists in all competitions for Panathinaikos and helped the club to a top-four finish.
However, while we are looking for a new striker to pick up a project from a considerably lower standard of competition feels like an unnecessary risk, especially if he will cost around £25m. Ioannidis has also experienced a slow start in 24/25, failing to score through the team’s first six games.
If we are to fix the issue up top we need to be looking at someone who has at least proven themselves in one of Europe’s top five leagues. We need someone who can hit the ground running and help the team now.
Teams like Brighton and Brentford have had recent success with signings from lower-quality leagues, but that success is few and far between.
We cannot afford to make another mistake with the roaming threat of PSR regulations. We have a European window now, and we need to make sure we bring in players who can help.
