West Ham drew a blank once again this weekend as they were unable to score past Manchester City.
The Hammers had their chances to get on the score sheet but the champions raced away with a 4-0 win at The London Stadium.
West Ham’s toothless finishing will inevitably have Manuel Pellegrini worried.
Marko Arnautovic leads the way this season with five goals but the Irons are becoming over-reliant on the Austrian.
Could Pellegrini move for a striker in the January transfer window to fix West Ham’s problems in front of goal?
West Ham want Brazilian
According to Calcio Mercato, Gabriel Barbosa is on West Ham’s radar.
Barbosa – sometimes known as Gabigol – is currently on loan at Santos from Inter Milan.
But having scored 22 goals in 38 domestic cup and league games for Santos, the 22-year-old has sparked the interest of West Ham and Palmeiras.
Tutto Mercato Web claims that Everton will rival West Ham for Barbosa as well.
With Inter Milan under pressure from Financial Fair Play, Barbosa could be available this January for West Ham to snap up.
Who is Gabriel Barbosa?
Once dubbed the “next Neymar”, Barbosa has failed to live up to those lofty expectations yet.
The 22-year-old scored just one goal in nine Serie A games after moving from Santos for the 2016/17 season, although he did not start a single game.
Inter Milan sent him on loan to Benfica, but he returned without a goal to his name and with just one substitute cameo to show for his time in Portugal.
But back in Brazil again, Barbosa is thriving. The striker, who can also play on the wing, has scored 22 times, including 18 times in the league for Santos this season.
The 4-cap Brazil international, who has already scored twice for his country, is set to return to Inter Milan in January but they will sell him rather than keep him.
The verdict
The concern for West Ham here would be Barbosa’s lack of goals in Europe.
He has only scored once in spells with Inter Milan and Benfica and his only success has come in Brazil.
To arrive at West Ham halfway through a Premier League campaign and be expected to adjust immediately is a major ask for the youngster.
But Barbosa is certainly a special talent and at the age of 22, he can still improve a lot.
It could be a shrewd long-term purchase for the Hammers and Barbosa’s goal scoring form could convince Pellegrini to bring him in this January.
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