What does Albian Ajeti do? Answers on a postcard as bargain bucket striker looks grade A flop

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When your club signs a striker in the dying moments on deadline day it tends to be a sign of desperation and that certainly seems the case for West Ham.

Clubs have all summer to plan and act on their transfer targets and the Hammers were no different.

Indeed given how comfortable West Ham were in the league at the end of last season it could be argued planning could and should have started long before the off-season.

But alas on deadline day for English clubs in the summer West Ham announced the capture of Swiss striker Albian Ajeti.

Big billing, bargain bucket

The £8million capture from Basel was given big billing on the official website.

“Ajeti has scored more than 40 goals over the past three seasons and is considered to be one of European football’s most promising young centre forwards,” West Ham said when announcing the last minute signing.

Director of football added: “He is an aggressive, quick striker who likes to play in the box… We believe Albian is ready to perform from the beginning.”

The reality is that in modern day football you do not sign “one of the most promising strikers in Europe” for £8million.

‘One of the most promising young strikers in Europe’ Sorry what?

And four months into the season, with West Ham in freefall, Ajeti celebrated his first and only shot on target in the Premier League for West Ham against Burnley.

Yes the 22-year-old has not had many chances.

But from his showings so far it is easy to see why.

There is no evidence of the ‘pace and strength’ listed as his key attributes. He has been a peripheral figure whenever he has played and was woeful in cup starts against Newport County and Oxford United.

Another dud to add to Sullivan and Gold’s list

His second half performance against Burnley further underlined the grave mistake West Ham made in getting rid of all five of last season’s strikers and replacing them with Sebastien Haller and Ajeti.

The Swiss appears to have no standout features to his game which would make him a success in the Premier League.

Answers on a postcard if any West Ham fans out there can see anything in Ajeti.

But it looks like another dud signing from West Ham. And Hammers supporters would know, they’ve seen enough of them over the years under the tenure of David Sullivan and David Gold.