Julen Lopetegui has numerous different jobs to do at West Ham United this summer, and all of them are very important.
However, the most pressing task that faces Julen Lopetegui is bringing a top-class striker to West Ham before the start of the new season, as far as I’m concerned anyway.
It has been claimed that the Hammers boss is prioritising the addition of a proven centre-forward, alongside a high quality new centre-back this summer.
The likes of Youssef En-Nesyri are said to be firmly on Lopetegui’s radar, but the Spaniard is casting his net far and wide.
Michail Antonio has been a fantastic servant for West Ham over the past nine years, but the time to make a big upgrade on him is now.
The Hammers cannot afford to head into another season with the Jamaica international as our main striker.
Signing a forward who fits perfectly into Lopetegui’s system will be crucial. West Ham have signed strikers who are painfully ill-suited to the way we play far too often over the past few years, notably Gianluca Scamacca and Sebastien Haller.
I have every faith that Lopetegui and Tim Steidten will work together to bring in the right man for the job this summer.
Obviously we need someone who’s a good finisher, but he needs to be able to run the channels as well, and possess decent pace.
Strikers like that are clearly not easy to find for reasonable prices.
And a new claim has just been made about one of our potential transfer targets this summer…
Reporter sheds light on Eddie Nketiah to West Ham for £50 million
It was claimed just last week that Arsenal are demanding £50 million for the 25-year-old striker.
At the time, that claim seemed to be slightly far-fetched. Nketiah is a good centre-forward, but not a great one.
His record of 38 goals in 168 games for Arsenal is hardly impressive is it. That said, I do believe he would improve a lot if he played regularly.
And he might just get the chance to showcase his true talent at West Ham.
Well-respected Arsenal journalist Charles Watts has been speaking to CaughtOffside about Nketiah’s future.
And the possibility of a switch to the Hammers was mooted…
Watts said, “A possible price tag of £50million for Eddie Nketiah has been a big discussion point over the last week or so. I have to admit though, I’m a bit sceptical about that figure. Arsenal are open to offers for Nketiah and I’ve always felt like this will be the summer that he does leave the club.”
“I struggle to see someone paying £50million for him though. That just feels a bit too high for me… I’ve not been told that the £50million figure is accurate. Nketiah is a decent player though and I do think Arsenal should be getting good money for him this summer.”
“He’s still only 25 and he’s proven that he can score goals in the Premier League. He’s also improved his all round game massively under Mikel Arteta. He just needs to go and play regularly now. If he does that, I have no doubt that he can make a big impact somewhere.”
Watts added: “Crystal Palace are long-term admirers of the striker and he’s been close to going to Selhurst Park on more than one occasion in the last couple of years. Fulham, Brighton and West Ham are also believed to be interested.”
If Eddie Nketiah were available for £20-25 million, I actually would like to see West Ham sign him this summer.
Anything more than that though, and Lopetegui needs to look elsewhere, it really is as simple as that.
Signing En-Nesyri or Simon Banza for around £20 million would represent far better value for the Hammers.
READ ALSO:
New Max Kilman info emerges that should have the West Ham fans dancing on the rooftops
You won’t believe the offer West Ham United have just made for Wilfried Zaha
Julen Lopetegui has just shared a real problem for West Ham – ‘It’s bad news for us’
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
