West Ham striker Sebastien Haller has joined Ajax after a disappointing spell in the Premier League, the club now needs to replace him.
Ajax have signed Sebastien Haller from West Ham. The fee involved is a lot lower than what the Hammers paid Eintracht Frankfurt for the striker. The club have received a fee of around €22.5 million to try and replace the Ivorian international.
David Moyes now only has one senior striker left in the squad. Michail Antonio had become the first choice forward at the club but is prone to hamstring injuries. Moyes could call Ademipo Odubeko into the first-team however the forward is only 18-years-old and with little first-team experience can’t be trusted with the responsibility just yet.
There are plenty of strikers in the world that could improve West Ham’s team. There are three outstanding candidates that could be affordable for the Hammers.
1. Adam Armstrong
The top choice to replace Haller should be Blackburn Rovers young forward Adam Armstrong. The former Magpie striker is different from Haller in every way. The 22-year-old is much younger, quicker, hard-working and lethal in front of goal. This combination of attributes would mean that Armstrong would fit straight into David Moyes’ system.
Currently playing in the Championship, Armstrong has been having his best season to date. Sixteen goals in only twenty-two appearances has seen the striker rise to the top of the scoring charts only matched by Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
Due to the current financial climate, Blackburn could be tempted into selling their prized asset for a reasonable fee of £12-15 million. This would leave the Hammers with some extra spending money to invest in other areas, such as left-back and central midfield.
Armstrong fits the description of players that Moyes wants to sign. British, young, hungry and from the lower leagues with bags of potential. West Ham would be silly to not even consider approaching the hitman.
2. Boulaye Dia
As Moyes is such a fan of Antonio, why not sign a striker that is remarkably similar to him. Stade de Reims forward Boulaye Dia could be a very wise choice for the club to investigate. Like Antonio, Dia is quick, strong, powerful, and a nightmare for defences.
The Senegalese striker has been in great form this season in Ligue 1 scoring ten goals in sixteen appearances. The 24-year-old clearly knows where the goal is and arguably has better finishing ability than Antonio.
If Dia joined the Hammers, David Moyes would never have to worry about changing system due to an injury to a striker. Dia would press the same and make similar runs to that of West Ham’s Englishman.
Valued at £10.8m on transfermarkt, a deal for Dia could be similar to that of Armstrong. The Hammers would be able to lure the striker with higher wages. The main worry is beating other teams to his signature.
3. Adam Hlozek
The club have recently acquired a knack for signing players from the Czech Republic. Tomas Soucek was first; then the midfielder suggested Vladimir Coufal who has been a big hit. Soucek has now suggested another player for West Ham.
The midfielder has suggested AC Sparta Praha striker Adam Hlozek. The Czech striker may only be 18-years-old but is already impressing at a good level. With four goals and five assists in only six appearances, Hlozek is proving to be a very efficient player.
Currently valued at £10.8 million, Hlozaek could prove to be the most expensive and biggest risk of the three options. Sparta Prague will want to capitalise on his rising value as much as possible, especially because he is so young. The Hammers should be able to afford the striker with the money brought in from Haller’s sale.
Hlozek may be expensive and a risk but the striker has tremendous potential to become a world-beater. After the failure of Haller, it would be surprising to see the Hammers take a punt on another expensive striker but not impossible.
These three strikers would potentially increase West Ham’s firepower immensely. Though it is more likely that the club take a cheaper route and go for AFC Bournemouth’s Joshua King or Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud.