Graham Potter delivered his first victory and three points for West Ham United since taking over, beating Fulham 3-2 in his first game at the London Stadium. Goals from Carlos Soler, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta for the Hammers – and a brace from Alex Iwobi for the visitors – ensured it was an entertaining spectacle on Tuesday night.
Despite having less of the ball (44% possession) and only taking four shots in the game compared to Fulham’s 21 shots, West Ham still managed to score three goals and create two “big chances”. Fulham generated a higher xG (1.90 xG) from their 21 shots and three “big chances” but failed to finish their chances, only scoring twice.
West Ham currently sit 12th in the Premier League following their victory against the Cottagers, but further improvements could certainly be made in this January transfer window, in order to equip Potter with the tools necessary for a strong second half of the campaign, starting with another striker option due to the current injuries in the squad.
West Ham’s striker search
According to reports from BILD, West Ham have held intensive talks with RB Leipzig over a potential move for striker, Andre Silva. The Bundesliga side are said to want the 29-year-old off their wage bill this winter, which could work perfectly for the Hammers, who are hunting for a centre-forward this January.
The move would likely appeal to Silva and his camp too, as his limited minutes this season have been coming from the bench, whereas West Ham could clearly offer the Portuguese forward a starting spot, leading the line in the absence of Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug – with the latter man now set to be sidelined for a ‘number of weeks’.
Silva – who has made 15 appearances for Leipzig this season, scoring just one goal, providing three assists and totalling 305 minutes – would represent the arrival of yet another experienced marksman from the Bundesliga, in the mould of Fullkrug, yet hopefully he could prove far more successful than the injury-hit German.
Silva vs Awoniyi comparison
Another name being linked to a move to West Ham to ease their attacking injuries is Nottingham Forest striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, who is currently under contract with Forest until 2027.
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The 27-year-old has made 18 appearances so far this season, scoring one goal in 383 minutes played.
Both Awoniyi and Silva fit the bill for what Potter will want from this centre-forward, being a focal point for other attacking talents such as Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen to play off of, something that has worked to good effect in his first few games in charge (once with Fullkrug/Danny Ings and once with Tomas Soucek more advanced).
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Silva (23/24) vs Awoniyi (23/24) vs Fullkrug comparison |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Silva |
Awoniyi |
Fullkrug |
|
Goals |
0.37 |
0.52 |
0.49 |
|
Assists |
0.00 |
0.26 |
0.24 |
|
xG |
0.41 |
0.41 |
0.34 |
|
xAG |
0.04 |
0.15 |
0.24 |
|
Progressive Carries |
0.62 |
0.69 |
0.73 |
|
Progressive Passes |
0.86 |
1.21 |
0.98 |
|
Shots Total |
1.85 |
1.90 |
1.95 |
|
Key Passes |
0.62 |
0.86 |
1.71 |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
1.11 |
2.59 |
2.68 |
|
Aerial Duels Won |
1.48 |
1.81 |
4.88 |
|
Stats taken from FBref |
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Silva – who notably scored 45 goals in just 71 games for Eintracht Frankfurt – was described as “ice-cold” by Eintracht Frankfurt manager Adi Hutter back in 2021, saying his composure reminded him of Robert Lewandowski. In the 2023/24 season, Silva generated 0.41 xG per 90 (more than Fullkrug has managed per 90 this season) and on par with Awoniyi’s 0.41 per 90 last season too.
The main disparity in the metrics is aerials won per 90, with Fullkrug winning 4.88 aerial duels per 90. That being said, this is from a much smaller sample size (under 400 minutes) compared to the other two forwards. Silva and Awoniyi have shown their quality in the air, so this won’t be a massive concern for the West Ham scouts.
Whether West Ham decide to go for Awoniyi or Silva, or even elsewhere, they will certainly improve with a centre-forward addition who can apply similar traits to Fullkrug, being a reference point for Potter’s side and bringing others into play, as well as chipping in with some goals themselves.
Indeed, Fullkrug has shown flashes since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund – with two league goals to his name from nine outings – with the hope being that Silva could replicate such qualities upon his potential arrival from Germany, albeit over a move consistent period.
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