West Ham United have made an enquiry for a “proper goal-getter” who plays like one of the club’s cult heroes, according to a new report.
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West Ham manager Graham Potter said his side “need to find solutions going forwards” after slipping to a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at the London Stadium at the weekend.
A brace from the in-form Jean Philippe Mateta was enough to seal all three points for the Eagles, who have now won three of their last four games in the Premier League – form that has seen them jump up to 12th. Potter’s Hammers, meanwhile, have won just three of their last 10, and currently sit 14th.
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“In terms of the performance today, it wasn’t one that we’re so happy about and obviously the result we’re disappointed with because I don’t think we deserved to get anything from the game,” Potter said after the defeat to Palace.
“We have to accept that as much as it’s not nice to hear, we have to be honest with ourselves and say ‘Okay, we need to do better, we need to find a way to be better’ and that’s where the process is, that’s where the work is and that’s what we need to do.”
Update on West Ham’s search for a new striker
West Ham’s biggest problem this season has come in front of goal. Summer signing Niclas Füllkrug has spent much of his career at the London Stadium so far injured, with the Germany international being limited to just a handful of starts in all competitions.
Club record goalscorer Michail Antonio, meanwhile, is expected to miss the remainder of the campaign after being involved in a horrific car crash. Jarrod Bowen is also now out, while Danny Ings, despite being fit, has scored just one goal in 14 games.
To help solve their woes in front of goal, the Hammers are reportedly eyeing a move for RB Leipzig and Portugal striker Andre Silva. According to TBR Football, West Ham have asked Leipzig about signing the 29-year-old, who now finds himself on the periphery at the Red Bull Arena.
Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell previously described Silva, who has scored over 150 careers goals for club and country, as a “proper goal-getter”.
“He is a complete forward.He can finish with both feet, he’s strong in the air and he’s technically gifted.”
The Bundesliga’s official website also once compared Silva to West Ham cult hero Freddie Kanoute, who scored 33 goals in three-and-a-half seasons with the Hammers between 2000 and 2003.
“With an unflappable composure and poacher’s nose in the opposition box, it is little wonder Silva eared comparisons with club legend Fredi Kanoute during the early part of his one-season loan with Sevilla,” reads a passage on the website. “He’s not the fastest in a footrace, but it’s his speed of thought that makes him such an effective centre-forward, punctuated by the uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time.”