West Ham United have been linked with too many strikers to mention this month but the latest would be a perfect fit.
Julian speaks out on West Ham training facilities
From Boulaye Dia to Youssef En-Nesyri and Odsonne Edouard, West Ham seemed to be spreading the net far and wide.
West Ham’s sale of Sebastien Haller to Ajax for £20million suddenly gave David Moyes some ammunition.
Now it appears his prime forward target is Red Bull Leipzig forward Hee-Chan Hwang, as first reported by Bild and The Daily Mail.
West Ham trying to secure Hwang deal
West Ham insider ExWHUemployee has backed up the links to Hwang in his latest transfer update.
Hammers supporters are understandably excited. And it is with good reason.
Hwang will undoubtedly be dubbed West Ham’s answer to Tottenham star Son Heung-min – his South Korean international teammate.
But that would be too simplistic and a touch unfair on Hwang in terms of expectations as Son is a world class operator.
Nicknamed ‘the Bull’ Hwang is perfect for West Ham and their system under Moyes.
Firstly he fits Moyes’s publicly stated recruitment policy to sign young, energetic, athletic players.
Son comparisons inevitable but Hwang is more like Antonio and Firmino and ‘the Bull’ is ideal for Hammers
ExWHUemployee claims the club are keen to sign an East Asian player to exploit the lucrative merchandising market.
But Moyes won’t care about all of that and he is very much in charge of transfers nowadays.
Hwang may generate much welcome interest and extra revenue from overseas. But it is his football ability and style of play that make him ideal for the Hammers.
One look at his goalscoring record for RB Leipzig this season may suggest otherwise. But he has struggled to establish himself up front for the Bundesliga leaders since moving from their sister club RB Salzburg to replace Timo Werner.
Highly-rated by former striker partner Erling Haaland, Hwang is the perfect second striker. Indeed he has often been likened to Roberto Firmino in the past (Bundesliga).
But West Ham fans should look to his scoring record in European competition for a gauge on how good he could be. He has eight goals in the Champions League and Europa League from just 14 starts.
European goal record, strength, power and link-up play suggest South Korean can be a hit in the Prem
A bundle of strength and energy – much like West Ham’s star man Michail Antonio – he is very direct and likes to dribble past opponents.
He is known for his link-up play and passing too.
Hwang is nicknamed as ‘the Bull’ due to his aggressive playing style and the fact the word ‘Hwangso’ means bull in Korean.
The West Ham target scored 28 goals in 86 games for Salzburg to earn his move to Germany. He is struggling for any game time in Germany, though. And – crucially – that means he will not be put off by playing second fiddle to Antonio.
In fact it may suit Hwang perfectly to watch and learn from Antonio and be fed into the team when needed rather than thrown in at the deep end.
Of all the strikers West Ham have been linked with, Hwang fits Moyes’s current system best.
He has the power, strength and pace to be a success in the Premier League.
And if Moyes can help him become more potent in front of goal – as he has done with the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Antonio – then it could be a match made in heaven.
On loan the signing is risk free. But West Ham would be wise to try and include an option to buy because if Hwang hits it off, other clubs are sure to be interested.