Striker tandem that would suit West Ham this season

With the two biggest striker target for West Ham missed, the Hammers need to readjust their center-forward sights and sign moderately for now and the future.

Maxi Gomez deal is dead… or is it? Sebastien Haller rumors suggested a deal was agreed, but conflicting views show that this may not be the case. Both would-be marquee signings’ links have possibly died due to the lack of European football if the Twitter rumors are true.

What this should show Pellegrini and Husillos is that West Ham needs to sign players who want to come to the team, regardless of their exclusion from European football. Two linked names that would fall into this category would be Moussa Marega and Fedor Chalov.

Moussa Marega

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This name seems to trigger a lot of West Ham supporters, and I can’t figure out why. A lot of arm-chair managers suggest the player lacks skill, but I honestly doubt Liga Nos comes through on their cable package. That would leave judgment to fall on his performances for FC Porto in Champions League from last season.

In these nine matches that Marega played in (missed one due to injury) the striker had nine goal contributions with seven goals and two assists. Marega’s goals came against Schalke, Galatasaray, Lokomotiv Moskow, and AS Roma, only failing to score against eventual Champions League winners Liverpool.

In League play, Marega had 11 goals and seven assists in 29 matches and in all competitions (47 matches) Marega had 21 goals and 11 assists. These league stats would put him in first for both goals and assists on West Ham from last season.

Marega is 28-years-old which seems to be a sticking point for a lot of Hammers supporters. Yes, this isn’t a signing that would grow into the team for years to come, but Marega is a physical beast and is not likely to slow down any time soon. Not wanting this proven goalscorer to join the team because he is in his late 20s is an ignorant viewpoint, in my opinion, and constant links suggest the player actually wants to come.

Transfermarkt have Moussa Marega valued at €30m.

Fedor Chalov

A player prior to the latest episode of the West Ham Way Podcast I knew nothing about, Fedor Chalov is a target West Ham should try to bring into the club quickly. The Russian striker is a 21-year-old is just 5’9″ but after some vigorous Googling and YouTubing, his size doesn’t seem to affect his ability to create in the box.

Playing for CSKA Moskow in the Premier Liga in Russia, Chalov scored 15 goals in 30 league matches, chipping in seven assists, and also scoring twice in Moskow’s 10-match jaunt in the Champions League.

From some video review, it’s clear Chalov is an instinctual and natural finisher who favors his right foot but isn’t afraid to shoot on his off side either. He also likes a shot from range, an aspect West Ham have lacked in recent years from their strikers and likes to make sneaky runs to capitalize on opportunities created on the floor.

Transfermarkt has his value at just €16m which could be a bargain for the largely unheard of striker. This type of signing would be classified as “for the future” but there is a lot of evidence suggesting Chalov could impact the first team immediately upon joining the Hammers.

The combined fee of signing Marega and Chalov (according to Transfermarkt) would be €46m, roughly less than the fee West Ham are believed to have offered for Maxi Gomez. While both players are not as highly ranked as Gomez, the duo would provide depth and proven goal scoring ability to the team.

Next. Reading into West Ham's preseason squad selection. dark

No European football, no problem Husillos and Pellegrini just need to adjust their sights to players who want to be at the club. I have faith that shortly the Hammers will have a few striker recruits to line up with Chicharito atop the West Ham attack.