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

Jonathan David

The big name this window that has got every West Ham fan excited in this window is Lille striker Jonathan David. The 21-year-old Canadian international has been linked with some of the Europe’s biggest clubs after bursting onto the scene in France during the 2020/21 season following a move from KAA Gent.

David was a massive part of Lille’s title winning campaign last year and after a slow start, bagged 13 goals in his first season for the club, helping them win their first Ligue 1 title in 10 years. The Canadian has carried his form straight into this season and has scored 16 goals in 27 appearances so far, with 12 of those strikes coming in the league and three of them in the Champions League. The Lille ace is quick, strong, has good positional awareness and is a great finisher which would make him a fantastic addition to West Ham’s front line.

While it may seem like West Ham have no chance of signing the 21-year-old with the likes of Real Madrid, Arsenal and Liverpool reportedly circling, there are several reasons why Hammers fans should remain hopeful.

For starters the French league is in a bit of a financial crisis meaning most of Ligue 1’s clubs will be forced into selling their prized assets in order to raise the finances needed. Lille are just the same and will be willing to sell David as long as suitable offer comes in for their talisman.

Secondly, it was reported by Italian site Calcio Mercato, that the Canadian forward wants to move to West Ham this month which gives us a massive boost in our chase. As well as this, David has been ‘liking’ several West Ham related Instagram posts which would be also be an indicator as to where the player is hoping to move to. This obviously could mean nothing but it is also just as likely to indicate something.

The only issue with this potential deal is the competition that West Ham will have to battle off. The likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal are all circling the Lille forward and it will be incredibly difficult for us to compete with these clubs. It is definitely possible but it doesn’t look promising.

There is no doubt about it that signing Jonathan David would be an incredible piece of business for West Ham, not just for the team but for the club as a whole. The capture of a player of David’s caliber would highlight just how far West Ham have come under Moyes and it would prove to players like Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen that the club is moving in the right direction and that their futures are at the London Stadium.

To conclude, West Ham simply must sign a striker in some form this window as failure to do so would critically damage our chances in the league, the Europa League and in the FA Cup.

We will linked with dozens more players but in my opinion we should be aiming for several of players on this list. All of the strikers here have been linked to us by the reliable ExWHUemployee so there is definitely a chance that one of these forwards may join us this month.

Additionally, I believe Moyes should go all guns blazing for Jonathan David as he would be a simply world class signing and it would show a massive state of intent as a club. If this was to fail then I would make sure that we secure the signing of Adam Hlozek as the 19-year-old is a star in the making. The addition of either of these two players would massively boost our chances of having an even better season than our previous campaign.