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Five strikers that West Ham could sign in January – Scouting Report

By Jack Hobbs

Lille's Canadian forward Jonathan David (L) celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League first round group G football match between Lille (Losc) and Salzburg at the Pierre-Mauroy Stadium in Lille, northern France, on November 23, 2021. (Photo by Denis Charlet / AFP) (Photo by DENIS CHARLET/AFP via Getty Images)
Lille's Canadian forward Jonathan David (L) celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League first round group G football match between Lille (Losc) and Salzburg at the Pierre-Mauroy Stadium in Lille, northern France, on November 23, 2021. (Photo by Denis Charlet / AFP) (Photo by DENIS CHARLET/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Giovanni Simeone

VERONA, ITALY – DECEMBER 12: Giovanni Simeone of Hellas Verona FC looks on during the Serie A match between Hellas Verona and Atalanta at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on December 12, 2021 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)
VERONA, ITALY – DECEMBER 12: Giovanni Simeone of Hellas Verona FC looks on during the Serie A match between Hellas Verona and Atalanta at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on December 12, 2021 in Verona, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images) /

Another name from last January, Giovanni Simeone has been in emphatic form this season for Hellas Verona and has once again put himself onto Moyes’ radar. Since joining on loan from Cagliari in the summer, the Argentine forward has bagged an impressive 12 goals in 17 league games in the Serie A this season and is the currently the third highest scorer in the league. Simeone has also picked up three assists along the way according to TransferMarkt.

The 26-year-old forward is a great player and he has been showcasing his class all season for the Italian side. Simeone has many of the qualities needed to succeed in the Premier League: he is comfortable with both feet, possesses great finishing ability, is good in the air and he will be well suited to the pace and physical nature of the league.

Another key attribute is the passion that Simeone plays with, which without a doubt will have been passed down to him by his dad Diego, manager of Atletico Madrid.

The Argentinian striker has scored some sensational goals this season, there have been no scrappy or lucky finishes, they have all been quality and well-placed strikes. When he is on form, Simeone is a beast in front of goal and he showcased this against in a 4-1 win over Lazio back in October where he scored all four of Verona’s goals.

The forward certainly fits into the caliber of player that Moyes is looking to bring into the club and he boasts a reasonable transfer fee as well with his price set at around £15 million according to TransferMarkt.

However, there could be a complication with this transfer as Simeone is only on loan at Hellas Verona and the Italian club have an option to buy Simeone for £10.2 million at the end of the season, which they intend to trigger.

This could make it very difficult for West Ham to bring the 26-year-old to the East London. The only hope is that Cagliari have an option to recall Simeone in the loan deal, meaning we would be able to negotiate directly with the selling club. There are ways around the issue and it is certainly possible for West Ham to sign the player as long as he is the striker that Moyes wants.

Simeone is a great talent and would be a great fit for the club but we will have to see whether Moyes feels like he is the right man for the job and whether we can negotiate around Verona’s option to buy.

We are also interested in his teammate Antonin Barak.