Who needs a shiny new £17 million centre-forward? West Ham United have got Callum Wilson.
OK, that may be recency bias talking but, after Wilson opened his account as West Ham stunned Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, those so ardently against the 33-year-old former England international may be gorging down on humble pie with an almighty smile on their faces.
Graham Potter said that Wilson was a ‘top player’ when quizzed about the controversial deal to bring him in on a short-term deal earlier in the summer.
And the mesmerising movement and the clinical finish he demonstrated at the City Ground – Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Wilson scored as the visitors rattled in three unanswered goals in the final seven minutes – was a reminder of what the veteran poacher can do when fully fit.
In the meantime, Brian Brobbey’s fairly disastrous form over the last eight months or so will have few West Ham United supporters looking at his impending switch to Sunderland with anything approaching jealousy.
Sunderland land Brian Brobbey after Ajax rejected West Ham United offer
Dutch football pundit Johan Derksen said, shortly after the close of the January window, that Ajax had made a mistake rejecting West Ham’s offer for the broad-shouldered Netherlands international.
According to the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper, the Hammers offered a loan-to-buy deal which could have become permanent to the tune of £25 million at the end of last season.
A proposal Voetbal Primeur described as ‘ridiculous’, given that the purchase clause would be an ‘option’ rather than an ‘obligation’.
Now, they had a point.
Ajax were in the midst of a gruelling title fight at the time. So, loaning out their number one striker without the guarantee of a big-money windfall mid-season would have been an odd move, to say the least.
But, after Ajax were pipped to the post by PSV Eindhoven and Brobbey ended the campaign with just four goals in 30 Eredivisie matches, the Amsterdam giants are now set to accept a lower fee than the one previously on offer from the London Stadium.
The Northern Echo claim that Sunderland are set to sign Brian Brobbey now for an initial £17 million, although the fee could rise to £22 million with add-ons included. The 23-year-old has been given permission to travel to the North East for a medical ahead of Monday night’s 7pm deadline.
Callum Wilson reacts after first West Ham goal as he credits Malick Diouf
As for Wilson, Niclas Fullkrug must surely be glancing nervously over his shoulder now. The German barely had a meaningful kick until he was dragged off at the City Ground, only to see second-half substitute Wilson make a huge difference in his place.
And while Graham Potter expects Malick Diouf and Mateus Fernandes will form a partnership down the left-hand side, the Senegal international is already on the same wavelength as the Hammers’ evergreen number nine.
“It was nice to obviously get the one [goal] and help the team get the three points,” Wilson tells the club’s official website. “I had a task to do when I came on, which was trying to help us get a lead in the game, which I tried to do. On another day, I could’ve scored three from the shots I had.
“I’m eleven away from 100 [Premier League goals] now. That’s obviously what I’m aiming for. Jazz [Bowen] is aiming for West Ham’s all-time top scorer as well, so we’ll help him do that. Obviously, he’s helping me as well along the way. These are all individual accolades, but it’s about the team.
“I think for me, I’ve been training and working hard behind the cameras, waiting for an opportunity,” Wilson adds. “I’ve not managed to get a start yet, but it’s about trying to impress in the time that you do get on the pitch, and today I tried to do that. It’s always nice to score in front of the fans as well.
“The lads were doing it, and I was getting jealous. I want to get my own goal, and to be fair, it’s a fantastic ball from Malick as well.
“I’ve seen him do that so many times. It was just about getting into the right position to get on the end of it, and thankfully, it went in.”
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