Dean Ashton says West Ham have finally found his long-awaited successor after 16 years – urges club to seal deal

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It’s taken 16 years, but West Ham have finally found their replacement for Dean Ashton – according to the man himself.

No other club in the Premier League has struggled as badly as West Ham when it comes to strikers.

Fans are convinced there is a West Ham striker curse. Many cite Dean Ashton as the ultimate evidence of that.

And it is any wonder after Evan Ferguson became the 54th forward signed in the 15 years under David Sullivan’s ownership.

Not all those strikers have been flops or injury-prone. But on the rare occasion they have been success stories, they have not stuck around too long.

Too often West Ham have taken the cheap option when it comes to signing strikers.

Some summers, as was the case after selling both Sebastien Haller and Gianluca Scamacca, the Hammers have opted not to sign one at all.

Money has been thrown at the problem at times.

Haller cost a then club record £45m from Eintracht Frankfurt. But little research went into whether he would fit the team or was right for the Premier League. Haller was sold on after just 18 months for a £25m loss. He was prolific both before and after his time at West Ham.

Come in striker number 54 at West Ham

The Hammers waited 18 months to replace Haller with Scamacca for £35m. The Italian scored a few important goals on the way to West Ham winning their first major trophy for over four decades.

But he was sold after just one season for a £7.5m loss – going on to help Atalanta win the Europa League in his debut season there.

Danny Ings and Niclas Fullkrug have been the latest disastrous attempts at striker signings, costing the Hammers another £42.5m.

For West Ham’s latest attempt at getting the striker signing right, they have brought in Evan Ferguson on loan from Brighton.

Just over a year ago, West Ham signing Ferguson would have been unthinkable.

He was reportedly valued at over £100m by the Seagulls as he carved out a reputation as one of the best young strikers in Europe.

Injuries have set the Irishman’s career back. But at just 20 years of age, he has plenty of time on his hands to get his career back on track.

That started in impressive fashion at West Ham last week as Ferguson shone when coming on as a second half sub in the 1-0 defeat to Brentford.

The Hammers put in one of the worst first halves of football seen during a dismal 14 months which has yielded just 13 wins from 53 matches.

But having Ferguson up front in the second half changed the dynamic and West Ham were unlucky not to at least draw a game they should have been losing 4-0 at half-time.

West Ham fans are trying not to get too excited about Ferguson because he has only been signed on a “dry loan”.

The Hammers didn’t want to risk signing him permanently in the winter window given his ankle injury issues. West Ham also didn’t want to commit to an obligation to buy for the same reason.

Brighton were reportedly open to a permanent deal if their valuation was met. But they were not interested in a loan with an option.

Hammers fans have been disappointed by reports West Ham will struggle to buy Ferguson outright.

Ashton urges West Ham owners to seal Ferguson deal

But Ashton says West Ham have finally found his long-awaited successor after 16 years and is urging the club to seal the deal.

Ashton believes Ferguson is the a cult hero in the making and is pleading with West Ham’s owners to get a permanent move in order with the Seagulls for the simmer.

The former Hammers goalscoring favourite has kept a close eye on his old club throughout his enforced early retirement.

And he believes West Ham finally have the young striker who can replace what he once brought to the club. Now they can’t afford to let him go.

“It’s a very exciting signing,” Ashton told West Ham’s website.

“I was particularly pleased that we managed to get that one over the line, especially a player who the manager knows well.

“It feels as if his career had been put on hold at Brighton and Hove Albion to some extent, with a few injuries and being out of favour, so hopefully it’s a fresh start for him.

“There’s so much talent there, and I think we’ve seen glimpses of it already. The finishing ability he’s clearly got is evident, and there’s so much more potential with him as a player to learn and develop, hopefully under the new Head Coach.

‘West Ham have been waiting for a long time for a striker like Ferguson’

“He’s easily got the potential to become a cult hero at West Ham. I think we’ve seen that. He’s been highly rated and highly touted throughout his career. He has an opportunity here, and I think with the talent he’s clearly got, he’s going to be a massive fan favourite. I think the fans are crying out for someone like him, and I’m sure he’s got the confidence to own the shirt and be the main man.

“I think we’ve needed this type of player for a long time. We’ve been waiting for a long time to have a striker who can play through the middle, that can score goals, that can be in the box and that can be in the box ready for those opportunities that get created by the wide players and midfield players.

“The biggest thing is he knows where the goal is, and I feel as if he’s the type of player that if he gets in those areas, you think he’s going to score, and that’s quite important. He won’t realise it yet, I’m sure he will start to, but what a Club and what a fanbase.

“If he does well, he’ll soon know what an unbelievable place this is and hopefully get that first goal and really kick on from there.”

Let’s hope Sullivan and co are listening to a man who knows what it takes to succeed as a striker at West Ham.