West Ham United need a new winger after selling Crysencio Summerville to Al-Hilal. The Hammers are targeting Middlesbrough's Morgan Whittaker.
According to talkSPORT, "West Ham United are looking to sign Middlesbrough's Morgan Whittaker before the start of the Championship season."
The Hammers' Championship campaign begins on August 16, when they travel to Burnley. This does not leave much time to get this deal done with Boro. Middlesbrough will also be reluctant to sell Whittaker to a rival team in the second tier.
Last season, Whittaker scored 14 goals with seven assists in 40 regular-season Championship games. They lost in the division's playoff final to Hull City. Kim Hellberg's side will be looking to challenge the Hammers for one of the promotion spots in the upcoming campaign.
As well as playing for Middlesbrough in the Championship, Whittaker has also represented Plymouth Argyle, Swansea City and Derby County in the division. He has also played for Argyle and Lincoln City in League One.
His experience of the Championship would be valuable for Nuno Espirito Santo. However, Whittaker does favor playing on the right wing. This is Jarrod Bowen's position, so Whittaker may have to play on the left in Nuno's system. Whittaker is left-footed, so he would have to adapt his game from cutting in and shooting to crossing the ball into dangerous areas.
Morgan Whittaker would be a versatile option for West Ham
It is unclear who will lead the line for West Ham next season. The Hammers have just let Callum Marshall join Luton Town. Taty Castellanos and Pablo's futures at the club are uncertain. Also, Niclas Fullkrug will likely depart the club after returning from his loan at AC Milan.
Bowen may have to fill in up front on occasion, which would allow Whittaker to play in his favored position on the right. Whittaker can also play as a second striker or as an attacking midfielder. This versatility could be very useful to Nuno.
West Ham have also been linked with Amadou Kone earlier in the transfer window. Rumors of him coming to the London Stadium have not died down. Now TEAMtalk has reported, "Hull City face a fight to secure the signing of Neom SC midfielder Amadou Kone after sources confirmed the Ivorian star is attracting attention from Leeds, West Ham and a flurry of major European clubs."
However, it is unlikely that West Ham will be able to sign Kone, especially when up against Premier League teams such as Hull and Leeds. One Serie A club, Atlanta, is believed to be one of the European teams also interested in Kone. The Ligue 1 side Nice have also shown interest in the Ivorian in the past.
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