West Ham have been linked to Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud, and the report claims that the Hammers could sign the striker on a short-term loan in January.
With Michail Antonio currently on the sidelines and Sebastien Haller leading the line, West Ham are incredibly short of options upfront. Though Antonio is thought to be close to returning, he is never far from another injury, and the Hammers could do with another back-up.
It is not the first time West Ham have been linked to Olivier Giroud; the club is linked to the striker on an almost annual basis. The club was first linked with the target man when he left Arsenal and then pretty much every window after.
Giroud is currently on the fringes at the Blues, and it does not look like that will change any time soon. Manager Frank Lampard Jnr has a wealth of attacking options at his disposal and prefers to go with younger players. Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham are both in front of Giroud in the pecking order.
A short-term loan deal is what has been reported; however, it is a move the Hammers should avoid. Giroud has a very similar playstyle to that of Haller and is probably less mobile than the current Hammer.
Despite, the 34-year-old’s impressive goal record, he would not fit into David Moyes current system and would receive the same backlash as Haller by a lot of the fanbase. A short-term loan deal, however, may not be the worst deal that the club could do in the winter transfer window.
Giroud would provide experience and competition for places in the squad, and that is never a bad thing to have in a Premier League squad. A move for AFC Bournemouth’s Joshua King, however, would do the same and would also have more longevity to the transfer.
King is six years younger than Giroud and is blessed with pace, height and strength. These attributes would make the Norweigan a far better option to provide back-up to Antonio. King is in the last year of his contract and would not cost a fortune to bring him to the London Stadium.
It looks set to be a busy January transfer window for West Ham who appears to be chasing a new striker and anew centre-back.