West Ham fans were over the moon with the arrival of Said Benrahma on transfer deadline day. But there is still plenty more work to be done. And moving Sebastien Haller on whilst bringing in Josh King in January would be a wise move from David Moyes.
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That isn’t knocking Haller. The Frenchman clearly has a lot of talent. He proved that during his time with Eintracht Frankfurt where he racked up 33 goals and 19 assists in 77 games (Transfermarkt).
But the 26-year-old just doesn’t fit into our new system. He is incapable of playing up front on his own.
Haller doesn’t run the channels like Michail Antonio does. And if the 30-year-old suffers a long-term injury, we could be in real trouble.
Haller has scored 12 goals in 41 games for the Hammers. But four of those have come in the Carabao Cup against weaker opposition (Transfermarkt).
So moving the French striker on in January would make sense. As long as we bring Josh King to the London Stadium from Bournemouth.
The 28-year-old really is absolutely ideal for us because of his mobility, work-rate, energy and stamina levels.
West Ham wanted to sign King earlier this month, according to the Sun. And the south coast outfit allegedly want £12 million for the 51-capped Norway international.
Stats
King racked up six goals and four assists in 26 Premier League games last season (Who Scored).
In those outings, the 28-year-old averaged one shot, 1.2 key passes and two dribbles per game. He also won an average of 2.3 aerial duals per game (Who Scored).
It was only three seasons ago when King scored 16 Premier League goals in a single campaign as well.
If West Ham could even get half of the £45 million that we paid for Haller it would be decent business. Especially if we can pick up King for just £12 million.
David Moyes is still short of options in central defence and central midfield, but our lack of strength in depth in the centre-forward department is a real worry as well.
And signing Josh King in January would be a very wise move from the Hammers. Even if it means losing Sebastien Haller at the same time.