West Ham are eyeing a January move to sign Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa according to a report from 90 Min.
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Hammers boss David Moyes is clearly keen to bolster his centre-forward ranks at the London Stadium in January.
Michail Antonio has looked rather jaded over the past month or so and he is a long-term injury away from West Ham’s Champions League hopes being dashed.
The month of January will be key for West Ham.
Moyes will know that he has to get at least one striker in through the door at the London Stadium next month.
And it seems as though he has identified someone who could provide strong competition for Antonio.
West Ham eyeing January move to sign ‘Gabigol’
90 Min claims that the Hammers are considering a bid for the Flamengo hitman with Moyes keen to strengthen his attacking options.
On face value it seems like the Brazilian ace would be an exceptional addition for West Ham.
The 25-year-old has been on fire since returning to Brazil from Inter Milan.
Barbosa has scored 84 goals in 122 games for the Brazilian giants. This season, he racked up 29 goals in 41 games (Transfermarkt).
The Brazilian football season ends this month.
It must be noted that Gabigol, despite his prolific goalscoring record, isn’t the most dynamic of strikers. He has a reputation in the game of being somewhat lazy.
Former Inter Milan boss Frank de Boer didn’t hold back when discussing Gabigol’s time at the San Siro, as quoted by The Mirror:
“Inter bought him for €35 million. I didn’t know much about him, but they told me he was a fantastic player. He thought he could do everything while standing still, playing indoor football. They called him Gabigol, but we called him ‘Gabi-no-gol.’ He joined us with two personal social media editors and a bodyguard but didn’t do anything.”
West Ham United’s transfer business in January will be absolutely vital to our hopes of a top-four finish.
Is Barbosa the man the Hammers need though?
Much will depend on whether Moyes thinks he can get a tune out of the 17-capped Brazil international.
His struggles in Europe with Inter and Benfica will undoubtedly be a concern for West Ham.
Moyes has worked wonders with troublesome characters before, however. Just look at what the Scot did with Marko Arnautovic!
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£30 million is a lot of money though. Perhaps somewhere closer to £20 million would be a fair price to pay and for that kind of fee, we believe that signing Gabigol might just be worth the risk for West Ham.
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