There is much uncertainty at West Ham United with the club still in the Premier League's bottom three. Relegation would see a mass exodus of players, and their transfer strategy would be severely damaged.
The Hammers have been linked with some notable forwards recently, including Folarin Balogun, Troy Parrott, and Santiago Gimenez. However, it would be highly unlikely if any of these players were to join the club if they are in the Championship next season.
As for West Ham's current strikers, Taty Castellanos would probably leave if the Hammers go down. Pablo would also have an uncertain future, but Callum Wilson would look set to stay after agreeing to a new deal.
West Ham are now being linked with a striker who could be an option for them in either the Premier League or Championship next season. Ekrem Konur posted on X: "Ipswich Town & Coventry City monitoring Swansea striker Žan Vipotnik. Sporting CP, Brighton, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Everton, Leeds, Brentford & West Ham → detailed checks."
Who is Zan Vipotnik?
Vipotnik began his career with the Slovenian side Maribor before being transferred to Bordeaux. He played for them in Ligue 2, scoring 10 goals with four assists in 37 league games. This earned him a move to Swansea City in 2024.
In the Championship, Vipotnik has scored 27 times with two assists in 81 games. The center-forward is 24 years old and also has 24 caps for Slovenia. For his country, he also has five goals with one assist. We will not see him in action at the World Cup as Slovenia failed to qualify.
His record in the Championship this season is very impressive: 20 goals with two assists in 39 games. This is especially good for a team who are 15th in the division. It could be time for him to test himself in a higher division.
He is being linked with Premier League sides and also clubs that are set to be promoted from the Championship. A move to Sporting would also be interesting, as that was the route that Viktor Gyokeres took from Coventry City before joining Arsenal.