Throughout this summer transfer window, West Ham were interested to sign a new centre forward to bolster their attack ahead of the new season. Their need for a new number nine stems from Michail Antonio inconsistent performances since last season and the fact that they didn't had any reliable second choice centre forward at the club. Thus, they set their sights on signing 20-year-old Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran and made several transfer offers to Aston Villa in order to bring him to the London Stadium.
West Ham offered £32 million and significant add-ons as part of the deal, but Villa remained firm on their £40 million demand and this led the Hammers to sign Germany international Niclas Fullkrug instead. First of all, Fullkrug is 31-years-old and hasn't played in the Premier League before despite being an in-form goalscorer over the recent few seasons. Moreover, Fullkrug has only started the Carabao Cup match against Bournemouth this season, and is currently recovering from his injury.
Should West Ham have prioritised signing Jhon Duran instead of £25 million winger
Further, Jhon Duran's impressive form for Aston Villa at the beginning of the season has led several West Ham fans wondering why didn't West Ham agree to increase their transfer offer to meet Aston Villa's £40 million demand. Also, West Ham signed 18-year-old right winger Luis Guilherme at the beginning of the transfer window for a transfer fee of £25 million, which didn't allow the Hammers to spend more on Duran as they had to sign a new centre back and a right back after that as well. Guilherme is currently training with the U21 side and if he performs well, then he could become a key player in West Ham's front three in the upcoming seasons.
On the other side, Duran is a proven centre forward in the Premier League, having already made over fifty appearances for Aston Villa before the start of this season and could have been a great signing for West Ham similar to Mohammed Kudus, who joined the Hammers last year. However, that isn't the case and West Ham will want that their 18-year-old new signing continues his great form for the U21 side and for the Hammers as well in the Premier League.