West Ham United boss David Moyes could be about to make a significant error this summer, according to the latest reports…
What’s the word?
As per Claret and Hugh, the former Manchester United manager is reluctant to ‘spend big’ on a new centre-forward this summer, despite the current dearth of options in that position in the Hammers’ squad.
The report suggests that the Scotsman may once more rely on the services of Michail Antonio to lead the line, with the 59-year-old unwilling to break the bank as he looks to ‘stretch’ his budget as far as possible.
The belief is that Moyes views reported targets Ollie Watkins and Darwin Nunez as simply too expensive, despite having reportedly placed a £60m bid for the latter man back in January.
Supporters fuming
Although the report does outline that a striker may still arrive through the door, the fact that the club are seemingly unwilling to splash the cash on a notable upgrade will come as a real source of anger for supporters, as not securing a top-class striker could well be Moyes’ biggest mistake in the window yet.
At present, the only senior, recognised number nine in the squad is Michail Antonio, with the player himself having even admitted that a new forward could be needed, in order to help shoulder the burden and provide renewed competition.
Perhaps Moyes and co will simply recruit a cheaper, backup option to the Jamaica international, although there are concerns as to whether he is the man to lead the line long-term, despite currently ranking as the club’s top scorer in Premier League history.
A return of ten league goals in the 2021/22 campaign is no doubt respectable, although the Irons undoubtedly suffered when the former Nottingham Forest man hit a dry spell at the turn of the year, netting just three top-flight goals in 2022 – two of which came during the last three games of the season.
The 32-year-old does undoubtedly have his plus points, receiving notable praise from Pep Guardiola after the 2-2 draw with Manchester City a few weeks ago, although the jury is out on whether he can really put a consistent run of goalscoring form together across an entire season.
The prospect of heading into another campaign with the Wandsworth-born colossus as the sole striker will not sit well with supporters, with West Ham still yet to find a replacement for club-record flop Sebastian Haller, despite the Frenchman having departed back in January 2021.
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