3 Cherries that could be ripe for West Ham picking

Fresh from the completion of the Premier League, it’s time for the wonders that is the transfer window. West Ham is in a strange position financially, but there are always ways to strengthen your hand.

Bournemouth has been an interesting Premier League side for the last few years, featuring fast-flowing attacking football and young talents coming through. But now they’re dropping out of the top division, they’re likely to need to sell a few big players to keep cash flow up. And West Ham should certainly be interested in certain names that might be leaving the club.

Whilst West Ham’s main worry should probably be full-backs, I don’t think Bournemouth have strong enough options that they will need to sell. Also, shock horror, clubs at the bottom of the table usually don’t have overly strong defensive options, because this was the same problem with trying to pick up Watford players. But here are my three picks, depending on how we can negotiate and who is sold.

Joshua King

So, first things first, this transfer has a few variables. If we are going after King, we need to have an out and out striker at the club. Someone, like Sebastien Haller, who isn’t going to burst past players on his own, but is capable of finishing moves and interchanging with a partner. However, he’s been linked with a move away and King isn’t a standalone forward.

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However, given King’s 6 goals and 4 assists in 26 appearances in that secondary striker role (according to transfermarkt) and his 16m valuation on the site, he wouldn’t be a bad addition to the squad. Haller was wanted all around Europe after his previous season’s exploits as part of a two striker system, and this could unlock the best of him again. West Ham doesn’t have a Premier League quality mobile striker option. Antonio is great physically but lacks the technique that King would bring to the floor game.

There are two potential issues with this move though, and that would be if we can sell to get him in, and if Bournemouth doesn’t make promises first. King has played second fiddle for much of his time at the club, but he is good enough to be a main striker in the Championship. He may be dissuaded from bouncing back up himself to play a rotation role if the Cherries want him to lead their line as they chase promotion again. But for me, he’d be a great asset to the squad given the likelihood of losing Ajeti and potentially Lanzini.

Lewis Cook

If you read the previous article about Watford players we could steal, you will probably be able to guess where I’m going with this move. Lewis Cook is a young player in Bournemouth’s midfield, a decent passer and certainly capable of playing at a decent level. His season wasn’t particularly stellar, although that may be due to his recovery due to a knee ligament injury. But he could be a great rotation option for us to add this year.

Cook is a player capable of Premier League play, but given his age and potential, Bournemouth probably doesn’t want to sell him if they think they can bounce back up. And with his previous injury issues, a year of rotation is likely ahead of him, whatever league he’s in. So, this season he could be loaned to the Hammers, with a potential future fee agreed if the Cherries fail to bounce right back. That way his rotation is at high quality, West Ham get an additional midfield passer and Bournemouth have wage space to get in a player who can be an ever-present in their midfield for a Championship campaign.

All of these targets come with a few conditions, but this last one is a special case. Not just the playing conditions, but there may need to be an apology before the fans can be truly happy with this player signing…

Callum Wilson

Mr. Wilson has drawn the Ire of West Ham fans in the past when his offside/handball interaction was allowed to stand in an equalizing goal of theirs at the Vitality stadium. And then refusing to apologize. Now would West Ham fans like someone who’s willing to push the rules a little to get points on their side? Yes, of course. But we also like Sportsmanship.

If you want an example of one player embodying both traits, look no further than Di Canio. The man would make a deal with the devil to get us points, but he’d never want to lie about it once the match was over.

But anyway, the point is that Wilson is a decent Premier League striker, and we might be selling our only current one. Wilson doesn’t strike me as the kind of player who will be happy dropping down a league if he could be playing at a higher level still.

And he’s likely one of Bournemouth’s top earners, so they could do with getting him off of the wage books. And for West Ham, taking someone who was involved in 27% of Bournemouth’s goals in the Premier League last season wouldn’t be a bad grab.

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Given that we would be able to sell Haller and get Wilson for a net gain and probably lower wages, I think that’s probably a good way to go. Wilson is more mobile than Haller as well, allowing more of a move towards the dynamic and fluid attack we saw work after the restart. It just might take a statement of apology from Wilson on signing if some fans are going to get over grudges from past offences…

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