West Ham United have a terrible track record when it comes to signing strikers, especially over the past four or five years.
The likes of Sebastien Haller and Gianluca Scamacca have come and gone over the past few years, and it’s now up to Julen Lopetegui to finally solve one of the biggest riddles to have plagued West Ham as a club.
Signing a top-class striker has to be the Spaniard’s number one task in the summer transfer window, and recent reports have suggested that that is in fact the case.
West Ham have a really exciting group of attacking players including the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus.
However, the lack of a proper, proven goalscorer at the London Stadium is conspicuous in its absence.
That could all be about to change this summer, but judging by the latest reports, West Ham could be on the verge of making a very big mistake.
West Ham eyeing big striker signing
Michail Antonio has been our number one striker since David Moyes converted him into that role during lockdown four years ago.
Antonio is unplayable on his day, and has been brilliant for West Ham on the whole during his time with the club.
Now 34 though, the Jamaica international’s time playing at the very highest level is undoubtedly coming to an end.
Antonio hasn’t got his explosive pace any more, and his finishing has always been suspect to say the least.
If Lopetegui is to take us to another level entirely over the next few years, signing a top-class, proven forward should be his main priority.
It seems like the Spaniard is indeed chasing a proven striker, but there’s one very big problem…
Julen Lopetegui on verge of big striker mistake?
According to TEAMtalk, the Hammers want to sign Tammy Abraham from Roma this summer, and face competition from Tottenham.
The Italian giants are said to be demanding a whopping £40 million for the former Chelsea man.
It was recently claimed that the Abraham to West Ham transfer could be on this summer.
However, I’m just not sure that he’s the man Lopetegui needs at the London Stadium.
He has bagged 127 goals in 325 senior career games, and is clearly a very good player on his day. However, a big word of warning…
The 26-year-old has missed 301 days of football since rupturing his ACL when playing for Roma back in 2023 (Transfermarkt).
Not many footballers return from ACL injuries as the same player, and there is a good chance that Tammy would have lost his pace and explosiveness.
I think that Julen Lopetegui should avoid a move to bring the Roma striker to West Ham this summer. There are far better options out there, including the likes of Youssef En-Nesyri and Dominic Solanke.
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