Andrea Belotti is allegedly the number one January transfer target for West Ham United manager David Moyes.
The Hammers’ need for a new out-and-out striker has been well-documented over the past 12 months.
Since Sebastien Haller was sold to Ajax in January 2021, Moyes has had to make do with Michail Antonio as his only option through the middle.
The 31-year-old has been outstanding for West Ham but to be so heavily reliant on one man is unfair to say the least.
There have been times when Antonio was in desperate need of a rest or he wasn’t in great form.
The addition of another centre-forward will enable Moyes to play with much more variation and it would also keep the opposition managers on their toes. There is a real argument to be made that the Hammers are far too predictable to play against at the moment.
Our starting XI more or less picks itself. If Moyes brings a top-class striker to the London Stadium in the January transfer window, however, all of that would change.
And it seems as though that is the Scot’s priority this month…
Andrea Belotti a January priority for West Ham
Hammers insiders westhamfans.org claims that the Torino striker is the Hammers’ ‘principal’ striker target.
The 28-year-old has a proven track record of scoring goals at the very highest level for a sustained period of time.
The 41-capped Italy international has bagged 152 goals in 377 career games at club level (Transfermarkt).
Belotti is an incredibly hard-working forward. He possesses superb movement and is always a real handful for opposing defenders. The Torino ace certainly knows where the back of the net is as well.
The Italian hitman is out of contract with Torino in the summer, so he will be available on a free transfer in just five month’s time.
West Ham will be free to undertake pre-contract discussions with him now of course. The thing is though, there is a good chance that the Hammers will try to get a deal done for him now in January for a nominal fee.
Moyes needs a top-class centre-forward now. It could be argued that despite the difficulties associated with the January transfer window, our need for a striker is far greater now than it will be in the summer.
West Ham are currently sitting pretty in fifth spot in the Premier League table. We have a chance to go fourth with a win tonight against Norwich City.
We will probably never have a better chance to disrupt the status quo of the top four than we do now. So why wait until the summer when every other team will have strengthened?
Now’s the time to act. The Hammers absolutely must seize the chance to kick on and finish inside the Champions League places.
Belotti may well be available for peanuts this month. He possesses all of the attributes that David Moyes looks for in a striker.
He’s strong, tenacious and would move to the Premier League with a real point to prove, having never played outside of Italy in his career to date.
If he is available for a bargain fee this month, signing him will be an absolute no-brainer. Belotti is exactly what we need at the London Stadium. Let’s hope that David Sullivan is of the same opinion!