West Ham United seem to be desperate to sign a proven striker this summer, and rightly so.
However, getting the signing 100% spot on and not panic buying an ageing mercenary will be crucial for West Ham head coach Julen Lopetegui.
The Spaniard is said to be prioritising a move to sign a striker before the start of the new season, as he looks to take the Hammers to the next level.
Michail Antonio should be used as nothing more than an impact sub this season and beyond, if we are to make some genuine progress under Lopetegui.
The striker signing will be pivotal to the Spaniard’s hopes of success, and is something that West Ham have historically struggled with.
The likes of Sebastien Haller and Gianluca Scamacca have come and gone over the past few years, and now it’s up to Lopetegui to succeed where David Moyes failed.
However, the latest transfer link is very concerning indeed if you ask me…
West Ham would be overpaying by signing Arkadiusz Milik for £5m
Arkadiusz Milik appears to be firmly on the Hammers’ radar this summer.
It was claimed yesterday that the West Ham have actually made an approach to sign the 30-year-old striker from Juventus.
And now, Tuttosport are claiming that the East London outfit will have to pay just £5 million to bring him to the London Stadium.
A fair price right? A potential bargain maybe? Definitely not as far as I’m concerned. Milik is a decent striker, but if we sign him for £5 million we would have paid £5 million too much as far as I’m concerned.
Firstly, he’s at an age where he’ll be looking for one final big contract. He won’t have the hunger to learn new playing styles and convert to Lopetegui’s system.
This is why I badly want us to sign Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran. At just 20, he can be shaped into the striker that Lopetegui wants and guess what, he will have a sell-on value as well!
The 73-capped Poland international is definitely on the downward curve of his career now, and there are plenty of better strikers out there available, including the likes of the aforementioned Duran, Jonathan David and Ivan Toney.
Moving from Serie A to the Premier League is tough for any player, let alone those on the wrong side of 30.
Arkadiusz Milik doesn’t possess any kind of pace – something that West Ham desperately need through the middle this season.
Give me Jhon Duran instead every single day of the week. The £5 million needed for Milik could be put towards the fee that Aston Villa are demanding for the Colombia international.
If Lopetegui is too succeed at West Ham he has to work with a long-term plan in mind, and ignore short-term fixes.
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