If you could pick one of the four Premier League players to be linked with a move to West Ham United, who are you selecting and why?
That was a question we at Hammers News put to our TalkingPoint users amidst reports claiming that Everton’s Dwight McNeil has emerged as a target, alongside Arsenal’s forgotten man Reiss Nelson, Newcastle midfielder Joe Willock and Sunderland frontman Wilson Isidor.
Interestingly, McNeil was linked with Newcastle during Steve Nickson’s tenure.
McNeil, Nelson, Willock, Isidor… Who would YOU pick? 🧐
West Ham have been linked with a quartet of Premier League men
Willock is the sort of athletic, high-intensity midfielder West Ham United will be crying out for when the day finally comes for Mateus Fernandes to bid farewell.
Nelson made next to no impact at Brentford but showed in a previous spell at Fulham that he offers a real maverick streak in attack. All three, though, come with their fair share of baggage. For Nelson and Willock, it is their injury records. And for McNeil, the fact that he provided zero goals and only one assist in 22 Premier League matches last season.
Isidor, then, feels like the standout. The cream of this particular crop.
West Ham United fans react to links with Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor
“Isidor,” one fan writes on our Facebook page. “It is strikers we need.”
Callum Wilson announced his departure in the immediate aftermath of relegation. The futures of Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe are also far from certain. And if so-called ‘proven’ Championship talent is something high on the Hammers’ wishlist – Swansea’s Golden Boot winner Zan Vipotnik is an option, for instance – then Isidor also fits the bill.
The Haiti international scored a rather average nine goals in 26 starts when Sunderland went up via the play-offs.
He is, in truth, more a scorer of great goals than a particularly great goalscorer. But if part of a mobile front three capable of sharing the goals around – optimism is growing regarding Jarrod Bowen’s future – Isidor’s relentless pressing, his willingness to run the channels and create spaces in the final third could come in extremely handy.
The anti-Fullkrug, if you like. A perfect antithesis to the snail-paced German.
Get Isidor while using the Fernandes funds to sign Vipotnik, and the odds on an immediate return to the Premier League would shorten considerably.
Swansea’s Zan Vipotnik is the striker some fans are dreaming of
How much would YOU pay for Swansea striker Zan Vipotnik?
He is the Championship's reigning Golden Boot winner… 👟 ⚽
In fact, based on the responses to our query, Vipotnik is the dream striker signing for many fans this summer.
“McNeil or Isidor, but yeah I want the Swansea striker,” one of our Talking Point users writes, while another feels that Keiber Lamadrid and Adama Traore should be given the chance to play a key role in the Championship.
“Bowen, Summerville, Lamadrid and one more [signed to help out the attack]. Should have given Traore a year as a squad player to get us up.”
“The bloke from Swansea [Vipotnik], and keep Bowen!”
“Willock in midfield and Vipotnik up front.”
According to club insider ExWhuEmployee, Isidor could be made available on loan by Sunderland. Vipotnik, in contrast, is likely to cost somewhere in the region of £20 million after Swansea extended the silky Slovenian’s contract at the end of last season.
Local source Swansea Independent reported this week that Vipotnik is happy in South Wales and is not pushing to leave as things stand.
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