West Ham are clearly getting desperate in their bid to sign a striker before the window slams shut on Monday night.
West Ham are running the risk of infuriating an already agitated fanbase if they fail to make signings in the January transfer window.
Hammers fans felt the club needed to sign two strikers in the summer window.
And the vast majority raised legitimate concerns about West Ham signing ageing and injury-prone Niclas Fullkrug.
Departing West Ham technical director Tim Steidten elected to spread his £45m striker budget across the signings of £26m Fullkrug and £20m untested Brazilian teen Luis Guilherme.
The fears of West Ham fans proved correct.
Fullkrug is out for three months having only recently returned from three months out.
Guilherme has barely kicked a ball for the Hammers and there Fabrizio Romano says he is expected to leave the club before Monday’s deadline.
Those deals have contributed to Steidten losing his job.
David Sullivan is back in charge of transfer dealings with Kyle Macauley in as West Ham’s new head of recruitment.
The Irons have known they needed a new striker for months.
Long before injuries to Michail Antonio, Fullkrug and Jarrod Bowen.
It is probably quicker to list the forwards who haven’t been linked with West Ham this month.
But the fact none have arrived as yet, with five days to go, has seen board resentment bubble to the surface once more.
Desperate West Ham hit new low
There have been accusations of phantom bids and faux ambition over that £57m move for Jhon Duran.
Targets such as Andre Silva and Brian Brobbey have underwhelmed.
Fans are more enthused about links to young striker Evan Ferguson, despite his own injury issues.
But yesterday West Ham revealed they faced a big hurdle to sign Ferguson.
Options appear to be thin on the ground,
Now desperate West Ham have hit a new low with a move for a striker who is about to turn 35.
West Ham fans are hoping the arrival of Macauley alongside Graham Potter will result in a more coherent recruitment policy focusing on young, powerful, talented stars.
Supporters thought they had seen the back of the scattergun approach where West Ham all too often signed big names who are well past their best and the wrong side of 30.
That’s why the fanbase were so disappointed with the arrivals of the likes of Fullkrug and Guido Rodriguez in the summer.
That contributed to West Ham going from the second oldest to THE oldest squad in the Premier League.
Well that average age could go up even further if the Hammers are successful with a new bid out of left field.
West Ham move for striker who is about to turn 35
Because according to Transfermarkt, West Ham have made a move to sign Italian veteran Ciro Immobile from Besiktas on a six-month loan.
Immobile was a great goalscorer for Lazio.
And he has scored 14 goals in 26 games for Besiktas.
But he turns 35 in a few weeks and news of the desperate bid will not go down well with West Ham fans.
It seems hard to believe Macauley and Potter would have flagged Immobile as a striker they’d like to sign.
Ironically his name is an accurate description of West Ham’s midfield and striker options.
Surely West Ham can do better than this.
Other clubs find young, athletic, pacy strikers to take a chance on.
The only positive news is that West Ham’s initial offer has reportedly been rejected.
If the Hammers had £57m to spend on Duran, why are they not matching Al Nassr’s £43m bid for Victor Boniface – which has been accepted.
Especially now it looks as though Al Nassr are pressing ahead with signing Duran instead.
Or why isn’t Sullivan making Brighton a firm offer for Ferguson with that money now it’s become clear they’re open to a deal?
Immobile coming into the Premier League as a 35-year-old is a ridiculous approach to recruitment.
West Ham don’t just have five days to get a striker in, they have five days to save their relationship with their fans.
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