Nuno Espirito Santo and West Ham’s new director of recruitment Nils Koppen have as many as eight strikers on their shortlist this summer after losing Callum Wilson to Brentford.
There has been much speculation over the future of Callum Wilson after he impressed during his debut season with West Ham.
Wilson went from Hammers bogeyman to hero, scoring some vital goals as he gave Nuno Espirito Santo’s team hope of survival when they looked dead and buried halfway through the season.
West Ham were hoping to keep Wilson in the Championship in their bid to make an immediate return to the Premier League.
Wilson leaves West Ham for Brentford as he aims for 100-club
Wilson made it clear he was reluctantly leaving West Ham after relegation, though, and took a swipe at Nuno for a lack of game time too.
Despite the former England striker publicly saying farewell to the Hammers, there has still been speculation he could stay at the London Stadium after Daniel Kretinsky took over as new majority owner.
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However, that has now been put firmly to bed with Wilson set to sign for Brentford.
The striker, who turns 35 next season, has stated in several interviews that he wants to make it to the Premier League 100-goal club.
Wilson is just five shy of that exclusive club and that was a major factor in deciding his future.
His boyhood – and first – club Coventry were also in for him as well as Hull.
But Wilson will sign a one-year deal with the Bees with a medical taking place on Wednesday, as reported by BBC Sport.
West Ham fans should not be too disheartened, though.
World Cup star is one of eight strikers on West Ham shortlist
Not only do the club fully intend to keep Jarrod Bowen and Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos alongside the likes of Tomas Soucek, the Hammers also have as many as eight strikers on their shortlist.
New head of recruitment Nils Koppen has been meeting with Nuno to discuss targets as West Ham look to expedite their transfer business with the new season starting in just four weeks.
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Kretinsky is backing Nuno to blow rivals away as five top West Ham targets were named by various outlets this week.
Now Hammers News looks at the club’s eight-strong list of strikers West Ham are reportedly assessing ahead of a season where the minimum expectation is automatic promotion.
According to our own information and reports elsewhere these are just some of the forwards being considered by the Hammers.
Youssoufa Moukoko
It is perhaps no surprise that West Ham are looking at Copenhagen forward Youssoufa Moukoko given Koppen has just left the Danish side to join the Hammers.
Moukoko, 21, has not been prolific in his career thus far but is rapid, very skilful and an excellent dribbler with the ball at his feet.
The highly-rated German has the potential to do well in the Championship with his pace and is known for trying his luck for spectacular goals from distance too.
Žan Vipotnik
West Ham’s interest in Swansea striker Zan Vipotnik dates back to the January window.
Hammers News exclusively revealed he was a top target for Nuno’s West Ham at the time, with former lead scout Max Hahn having recommended the big Slovenian.
Vipotnik scored 25 goals and laid on three assists in 49 appearances last season.
Nestory Irankunda
After becoming Australia’s youngest ever goalscorer at a World Cup, Nestory Irankunda is on West Ham’s summer striker shortlist.
Last month Hammers News reported on claims from Australia that West Ham want rapid World Cup record breaker Irankunda for their title tilt.
The 20-year-old Watford forward is still very raw but has explosive pace and dynamism.
Irankunda scored four goals and laid on four assists for Watford in 22 Championship appearances last season.
Promise David
Giant 25-year-old forward Promise David scored 11 goals and laid on an assist in 22 starts for Union SG last season. Promise also scored one and made one for Canada at the World Cup.
Karim Konaté
Playing for Salzburg in Austria, Karim Konate scored 22 goals in 38 games in his breakthrough season two years ago.
The 22-year-old Ivory Coast international has notched eight goals in each of the two seasons since and boasts a scoring ratio of a goal every two games in his career so far.
Richard Kone
West Ham looked at signing 22-year-old Richard Kone last summer after he had scored 21 goals in League One for Wycombe Wanderers.
The Hammers opted against a move but Kone joined QPR instead and went on to score 10 goals in his debut season in the Championship.
The 22-year-old would not need long to adapt to life in east London. He started his football journey at Athletic Newham Football Club, who play in the Eastern Counties League Division One South and at the Bobby Moore Sports Hub in Dagenham.
Kone scored 88 goals in 109 games there to earn a move to Wycombe. Could he return to east London with West Ham?
Lucas Stassin
Lucas Stassin shone in Ligue 1 despite AS Saint-Etienne’s relegation.
Lucas Stassin was heavily linked with a move to West Ham last summer but remained in France where he provided 20 goals and assists in 35 matches in 2025/26.
Stassin’s St Etienne were beaten 4-1 by Nice in the Ligue 1 relegation play-off at the end of last season, and having been omitted from Belgium’s World Cup squad, it is expected that he will leave this summer.
“Lucas Stassin has no intention whatsoever of playing a second season in Ligue 2,” writes French publication Live Foot.
“The Belgian is going to leave.”
Mamadou Diakhon
The 20-year-old Club Brugge striker looks like a wildcard pick from Koppen.
The Senegal-capped striker has just a handful of goals in his fledgling senior career.
But Koppen’s transfer strategy is to target players before they come on the radar of the elite.
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