Scott Hogan signing imminent for West Ham

It seems that West Ham are close to signing a striker. All news is pointing to the club announcing the signing of Scott Hogan this week.

West Ham fans have been waiting some time for the club to sign a striker. Since early summer the board have made noises about getting the best players in, only to hit roadblocks. Whether that be the club’s fee, the players’ demands or simply the fact the player didn’t want to join. However this week Scott Hogan looks set to join.

Most news sites and broadcasters have been saying the deal has been close for a while. However I think that the club itself has given the first indication that it is set to make the signing, although not directly…

In a club where striking options are thin on the ground anyway, they’ve just let one go. With Sakho injured, Carroll perpetually minutes away from tearing something important, Fletcher lacking experience and Calleri set to head back to the poor defences of South America it can only mean one thing: Another striker is on his way in.

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Scott Hogan

The West Ham fanbase has been decidedly mixed about the potential signing. On the plus side, he does score goals. More goals than anyone else in the Championship during 2016 actually. He would also add a lot to the team given his different style to Carroll and Fletcher. He loves playing on the last defender, and his pace will definitely trouble a lot of defenders no matter what league it’s in.

On the negatives, he’s never played in the Premier League. It’s a big step up and there aren’t as many mistakes to capitalize on. However we have seen more and more players make the jump up in previous years with the likes of Jamie Vardy and even our own Aaron Cresswell proving they could make the jump.

More importantly the board have probably realized that they can’t attract too many players right now. The club aren’t close to qualifying for Europe, and they are about to lose their ‘biggest’ player in the form of French cry baby Dimitri Payet. Hogan represents a potential move forward and a definite squad improvement, if not a guaranteed answer.

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In my opinion the signing will do the squad a lot of good, and the earlier he gets in the better.