Unbelievable situation unfolds as West Ham ‘agree terms’ to sign prolific striker

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An unbelievable situation is developing at West Ham after the club reportedly agreed terms to sign a prolific striker target.

The deal has come out of nowhere and could mark a major turning point in West Ham’s summer business.

But no sooner has it reportedly been agreed than it has already been plunged into immediate doubt.

West Ham fans have long been convinced their club is cursed when it comes to signing strikers.

There has been plenty of evidence to back up that theory down the years.

West Ham searching for striker number 55 of Sullivan era

A grand total of 54 forwards have been signed by West Ham since David Sullivan’s arrival as majority owner in 2010.

In the 15 years since, very few of those strikers have been genuine success stories – Evan Ferguson being the latest example, failing to register a shot on target let alone a goal in his dismal five-month loan spell with the Hammers.

Even when a forward signing has worked out, they seem to either get injured or do well and move on too soon.

Hammers fans cite the club’s last four permanent striker signings as further proof the ‘West Ham striker curse’ is real.

Sebastien Haller has scored bags of goals wherever he has played.

But after signing for the Hammers for £45m, they dried up and he was shipped out for a £20m loss just 18 months later.

Gianluca Scamacca joined for £35m but was sold after one season for an £8m loss having failed to make his mark or settle in London.

Danny Ings was a complete flop, costing West Ham £30m in fee and wages and he is now being released.

Unbelievable situation as West Ham ‘agree terms’ with prolific striker

Then Niclas Fullkrug joined for £26m but spent six of his first nine months out injured and has only scored three goals amid speculation he will leave the London Stadium this summer.

Signing a striker is a top priority for Graham Potter this summer.

And breaking news claims an agreement has been reached to do just that.

But an unbelievable situation has unfolded as West Ham ‘agree terms’ to sign a prolific striker the club has chased for ages.

According to Weekend Sports journalist Sebastien Vidal, West Ham have agreed personal terms with Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto.

Yuri Alberto’s agent confirmed West Ham’s interest a couple of months ago.

The Hammers, Wolves and Real Betis were named as clubs who have submitted an offer for the Corinthians and Brazil forward.

A Times journalist then claimed in April that a deal had been agreed in principle between West Ham and Alberto ahead of a summer move.

The 24-year-old, who has over 110 career goals already, has been linked with a move to West Ham every window since their interest was confirmed by Corinthians in 2023 – when they revealed they had rejected a bid from the Hammers for their £15 million-rated talisman.

Now Vidal has taken to social media to state that West Ham have agreed personal terms with Corinthians striker Alberto.

Back break adds to West Ham’s window pain

That would clearly have been working on the basis Alberto’s back injury suffered last month is nothing too serious.

But in the latest evidence of the ‘West Ham curse’, the deal has been thrown into doubt after it was confirmed that back injury is in actual fact a lumbar spine fracture.

Vidal says Doctor Rajpal Brar has confirmed the injury just as Potter looked to be closing on a new striker after a ‘toothless end to the season’.

You quite literally couldn’t make it up at this point for West Ham and what is threatening to be a bleak summer transfer window.

The recovery time for a lumbar spine fracture in athletes can vary significantly, ranging from a few months to over six months, depending on the severity of the fracture, the treatment approach. Generally, athletes can expect a return to sport timeframe between four to six months.

But even if Alberto’s injury recovery is on the lower end of that scale, it would now represent a huge risk on West Ham’s part.

The Hammers knew Fullkrug was prone to injuries but pressed ahead with signing him anyway and have paid the price.