West Ham’s striker hunt has taken an extraordinary turn after one of their longstanding targets was chased by police in dramatic scenes following a major cup triumph.
What should have been a night of celebration quickly descended into chaos, with footage and reports emerging showing officers chasing the forward on foot.
The bizarre incident adds an unexpected layer to West Ham’s transfer plans, with the club desperately hunting for their replacement for flop Niclas Fullkrug, who is joining AC Milan.
Nuno Espirito Santo is searching high and low for a new forward.
The Hammers have held talks with Wolves over Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Crazy twist to West Ham’s striker search
West Ham have been looking at strikers domestically, including several from the Championship.
But the Irons have also been focusing on the Brazilian players too with links to the likes of Clayton, Kaio Jorge and Endrick among others.
Strand Larsen will be the best striker West Ham have signed in years. He will save them from relegation… 😍
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Real Madrid outcast Endrick looks set to join Lyon while another reported West Ham target, Joshua Zirkzee, appears on course to sign for Roma.
The Hammers are trying to drive down Wolves’ fee for Strand Larsen as they look for an early signing in the January transfer window.
So as things stand options are limited.
With the eyes of West Ham’s scouts on Brazil, longstanding target Yuri Alberto will undoubtedly be on the radar again.
Alberto’s agent confirmed West Ham’s interest earlier this year.
The Hammers were named as one club who submitted an offer for the Corinthians and Brazil forward.
Ahead of the summer window, a Times journalist claimed a deal had been agreed in principle between West Ham and Alberto over a move.
West Ham striker target Alberto chased by police
That never transpired, though, with free agent Callum Wilson joining instead when the ‘West Ham curse’, struck as Alberto suffered a lumbar spine fracture.
The 24-year-old, who has 116 career goals to his name 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 east Londoners.
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And which changes would you make to our XI?
Finding quality players in January is hard enough as it is.
Persuading players to sign up for a relegation battle makes that an even more arduous task.
Then there are other complications which can come into the mix and throw a spanner in the works.
And always expect the unexpected when it comes to the Hammers.
Because West Ham striker target Alberto was chased by police in dramatic scenes after a big cup triumph.
After helping Corinthians win the Copa Do Brasil, Alberto was enjoying wild celebrations with the club’s fans as he signed autographs and posed for pictures.
Then, in incredible scenes, the shirtless striker was chased by local police, showing a turn of pace West Ham could do with up front for the rest of the season.
Whether the incident could do West Ham a favour by persuading Alberto to venture out of Brazil and back to Europe, where he played for Zenit in Russia, remains to be seen.
The Hammers may well want to test the water, though, given the lack of viable options elsewhere with even Coventry quoting a ridiculous £120m for 27-year-old forward Haji Wright.
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