Rob Edwards had a few words of warning for West Ham United on Tuesday night as reports linking Nuno Espirito Santo’s survival-battlers with a swoop for Wolves striker Jorgen Strand Larsen went into overdrive.
After Niclas Fullkrug arrived in Italy to seal his AC Milan transfer before Christmas, Nuno’s desire for a new number nine at the London Stadium has grown stronger than ever before.
And while West Ham have reportedly made a bid for Rafiu Durosinmi of Viktoria Plzen, Nuno’s number one target is allegedly the man who scored 14 Premier League goals last season in the Old Gold of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
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Traore? El Karouani? Strand Larsen?
The Guardian reported, shortly before West Ham United drew 2-2 with Brighton and Wolves picked up a rare point at Old Trafford, that the Londoners were planning a bid for Jorgen Strand Larsen.
But as doomed as Wolves may be – they remain 15 points adrift of safety – Rob Edwards insists that the team nailed to the bottom of the table will not be forced into agreeing sales below their asking price.
Rob Edwards says Wolves in ‘control’ as West Ham United eye Jorgen Strand Larsen
Hammers News reported earlier this month that West Ham were unlikely to go all-in on Strand Larsen, simply because of the eye-watering price tag slapped on the rangy Norway international. Wolves value Jorgen Strand Larsen at around £45 million.
He signed a new five-year contract as recently as September, too, having been priced out of a mega-money move to Newcastle in the summer.
“He came on and worked really, really hard, and that is all he can do,” Edwards told reporters of his big number nine after Strand Larsen played the final hour of a deserved draw away to Manchester United.
“I think we will make the right call on every individual [come January] We’ve got some good players at the club, and we are aware there will be noise around some of our players because of the position we are in.
“But we are in control. We are in control of the situation in January. So look, only time will tell on that, to be honest. That will be a club decision based on every individual. I’m sure there will be movement in and out during the month.
“There is a plan there, and the guys [behind the scenes] are working hard and are constantly in discussions on a daily basis around that.”
Strand Larsen too expensive as Hammers look at Rafiu Durosinmi
BBC Sport have since reported that West Ham are cooling their interest in a striker who has hit double figures in the Eredivisie, La Liga and now the Premier League with Groningen, Celta Vigo and Wolves respectively.
Not to blow our own proverbial trumpet, but Hammers News revealed on the other side of Christmas that Wolves were simply demanding too much.
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Nuno will be given money to spend in January.
But £45 million on a centre-forward who has scored only one goal so far this season, and whose value would drop rapidly on the back of relegation, is not the sort of deal West Ham were ever likely to pursue with a great deal of fondness.
“They [Wolves] want far too much for a player who has scored just one Premier League goal this season,” the spokesman for West Ham’s owners exclusively told Hammers News a week ago.
While the aforementioned Durosinmi would not bring with him a track record in English football, the 6ft 4ins Nigerian is unlikely to even break the £20 million barrier.
Durosinmi has scored 13 times this season for Viktoria Plzen. The Czech market is one West Ham have enjoyed plenty of success in before too, via Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek and more recently El Hadji Malick Diouf.
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