West Ham United were heavily linked with giant striker Paul Onuachu during the summer and he’s just grabbed the headlines in the other game in the Hammers’s Europa League group.
West Ham got their Europa League campaign off to a superb start, beating Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 away from home with a perfect, professional performance.
Goals from Michail Antonio and Declan Rice have put West Ham top of Group H.
But 6ft 7in Nigeria striker Onuachu has laid down the gauntlet to the Hammers after netting a 92nd minute winner for Genk against Rapid Wien.
West Ham were first linked with Onuachu back in June (All Nigeria Soccer).
According to widespread reports Moyes wanted the prolific forward as back-up to Antonio and to add to West Ham’s armory as the most dangerous side in the Premier League from set-pieces.
In the end West Ham pulled out of a reported £22m deal after holding talks (Own Goal Nigeria).
Well it seems West Ham and Onuachu’s paths are destined to cross in the Europa League with Moyes’s men and Genk level on three points after the first game.
It was Onuachu’s 50th goal for Genk.
It was the worst kept secret in football that West Ham wanted a striker in the summer.
In the end Moyes elected not to sign one saying there was a dearth of forwards available (Independent).
At 27, Onuachu has been around a while. But the forward has an excellent goal record in his career so far with a ratio of one in just over every two games.
Onuachu has hit 128 goals in 271 games.
But what West Ham will have to be wary of when they come up against Onuachu with Genk is the Nigerian’s aerial threat.
The reported Hammers target made a name for himself when he was called up for Nigeria in 2019.
That’s after Onuachu scored Nigeria’s fastest ever goal when he struck after just 10 seconds in a friendly against Mo Salah’s Egypt.
In other news, Solskjaer delivers major update on Lingard’s future ahead of West Ham return.
And Jurgen Klopp hits out over lack of interest in West Ham striker target.