West Ham are chasing Brentford striker Scott Hogan after a failed move for Jermain Defoe
First, there was Jermain Defoe and now it is Brentford’s Scott Hogan, it seems West Ham are desperate to sign a striker in the January transfer window.
The Hammers were told by Defoe’s current club Sunderland he is not for sale, much to the relief of Black Cats boss David Moyes.
Defoe, of course, started his professional career with the Irons and a return looked on the cards for the 34-year-old.
However, even the clubs owners have realised just how important Defoe is to the Black Cats chances of staying in the Premier League. Now the Hammers have turned their attentions to Scott Hogan.
Scoring goals in the Championship
Each season there is a striker in the Championship that starts scoring goals and is linked with top-flight clubs. This season that striker seems to be Brentford star Hogan. The 24-year-old is not the top scorer in the Championship, but his 14 goals in 25 appearances has brought him to the attention of West Ham.
Hogan started his career at Rochdale before dropping down to non-league, where he played with Jamie Vardy at Halifax and eventually found his way back to Rochdale in 2013. A year later Brentford splashed out £750,000 to sign the striker.
Hogan has bounced back from various injury problems to thrive in the English second tier. Unsurprisingly there have been comparisons to Vardy. His main assets are reported to be his speed, strength and his natural goalscoring ability.
At 24-years-old he still has time to make a big mark on the game. A move to West Ham would no doubt be a major one. West Ham have already had a bid of £10million rejected for Hogan, whose contract expires in the summer of 2018.
The Bees are reported to value the striker at closer to £15milliom. The Hammers are expected to return with a new offer in the near future for the in-form star.
West Ham strikers have struggled
To put it nicely West Ham’s strikers have struggled slightly this season. To put it truthfully they have had a nightmare. England striker Andy Carroll is regarded by many as their best striker. However, keeping the big Geordie out of the club’s treatment room has been a major problem.
Senegalese striker Diafra Sakho has shown in flashes that he can score goals in the Premier league given the chances. Sakho is currently sidelined through injury, having found the net once in just two Premier League appearances due to injury.
On loan Argentinian, Jonathan Calleri looks set to cut his loan spell short. Youngster Ashley Fletcher has tried his hardest in his cameos but does not look ready for the top-flight.
However, the biggest disappointment has to be Italian striker Simone Zaza. He arrived on loan from Juventus with a big reputation and a potentially bigger transfer fee if he impressed. He has not. In fact, he has flopped like a wet jellyfish on a mattress.
Zaza has not featured since mid-November for West Ham and for good reason. The Hammers did want to activate the £17million clause that would make Zaza’s deal permanent.
The Italian’s loan deal is now set to be cut short and rumour has it he is heading for Valencia as if the Los Ches fans haven’t suffered enough in recent years.
West Ham needs a lift
West Ham as a club needs a lift. The Hammers Premier League campaign has been poor, they were spanked 5-0 at home in the FA Cup third round by Manchester City and their star player Dimitri Payet seems to be angling for a move elsewhere.
Everybody at the London club needs something to cheer about. Maybe boss Slaven Bilic and the clubs owners could at least give the Hammers fans something to think about in a new signing or two this month.
West Ham have moved away from the relegation dogfight of late and are now odds of 2/1 to finish in the top-half of the table. It is hard to see The Irons being relegated this season. They should have too much quality to finish below the likes of Hull, Swansea, Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
However, if they are to push up the table in the coming weeks then signing a striker in the near future is a must for Slaven Bilic. That striker may well be Scott Hogan. He may well turn out to be the next Jamie Vardy.
If not at least they will have a striker on the books that has managed to find the back of the net this season and can go more than one game without being injured.
Will West Ham sign a striker this month?
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