Ex-West Ham United forward Dean Ashton says club should target QPR’s Charlie Austin

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Ashton would like to see West Ham move for a forward who scored 18 goals last season.

Former West Ham United forward Dean Ashton has suggested the club should target Queens Park Rangers forward Charlie Austin in the summer transfer window.

Austin looks likely to leave Loftus Road this season following the side’s relegation from the Premier League, but his performances in the top-flight – which saw him find the net on 18 occasions and receive a call-up to the England national side – have put plenty of suitors on alert.

Ashton told TalkSport: “If it was me [at West Ham], I’d go out straight away and put the money down for Charlie Austin.

“He’s scored 18 goals in a team that was struggling. I know what it’s like to play in teams where you’re not playing every week, and it’s tough.

“You only get few chances and he’s so clinical.”

These statistics certainly suggest he is a clinical forward when compared to those leading the line for West Ham last season, with Diafra Sakho’s statistics also pretty impressive. There is another reason that Ashton hasn’t mentioned which would be good for West Ham, and it’s that Austin keeps himself fit – making more appearances than any of the forwards at West Ham’s disposal.

Given that he has managed to score that many goals for a side that has been relegated out of the Premier League, one would think he could produce just as much, if not more, for a side that will be pushing for a finish in the top half of the Premier League next season, as well as competing in the Europa League.

Following the departure of Carlton Cole, and the injury problems of other forwards at the clubs, you would think that the Hammers could do a lot worse than move for the 25-year-old.