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After flirting with relegation last season, before dramatically winning the Europa Conference League, West Ham United have steered clear of the dropzone and continued their European exploits in the current campaign. After comfortably easing past Manchester United too, the Hammers now sit inside the top six in the Premier League and are on course to once again qualify for the Europa League to sum up the excellent job that David Moyes is doing at the London Stadium.
Things could yet get even better when the January transfer window swings open in just over a week, meanwhile, with the Hammers reportedly eyeing a move to land one particular rival player.
West Ham transfer news
Despite losing Declan Rice to Arsenal, West Ham arguably came out of the summer transfer window far better than they went in thanks to their successful recruitment. The likes of Edson Alvarez and Konstantinos Mavrapanos have slotted straight in, whilst Mohammed Kudus and James Ward-Prowse have so far been revelations for Moyes. Kudus has especially impressed, with his goal against Manchester United the latest moment for West Ham fans to savour at the London Stadium. If they can add even more firepower to their side next month, the sky could be the limit for West Ham, however.
According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, West Ham have set their sights on a move to sign Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah in the January transfer window. The forward is most likely to leave at the end of the campaign, but a winter move reportedly cannot be ruled out as Arsenal could be prepared to sell as they look to raise funds for improvements of their own.
If the Hammers do want to land their rival’s forward, they will have to reportedly fend off interest from Brentford and Crystal Palace and fork out as much as £40m in what would be a hefty deal.
“Incredible” Nketiah could be an upgrade on Antonio
Whilst Michail Antonio has struggled with injuries this season, his impact has lessened when he has been available to lead the line for West Ham, arguably creating the need for a fresh option in Moyes’ attack. Nketiah could be the perfect option to turn to, even for the high price of £40m in January or next summer.
The Arsenal forward has struggled to establish himself as Mikel Arteta’s first choice over Gabriel Jesus but has consistently been a reliable goalscorer at The Emirates whenever asked to step up in the last year or so. Nketiah’s stats show just how clinical he can be in front of goal compared to Antonio.
|
Player |
Goals |
Assists |
Expected Goals |
Goal-Creating Actions Per 90 |
|
Eddie Nketiah |
5 |
1 |
3.7 |
0.74 |
|
Michail Antonio |
2 |
2 |
1.8 |
0.55 |
Earning the praise of Arteta as a result of his performances, the Arsenal manager labelled Nketiah, who has scored twice against the Hammers in the past, as “incredible”.
“It was a great goal but I think overall his performance was incredible. The way he understood the pressing, his intensity, the way he counter-attacked certain spaces, the composure he showed. And then he stayed patient. And in the box he produced a moment of real quality to win us the game.”
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