West Ham United may regret their failure to sign a striker on deadline day, with Matt Jarvis wondering if Josh King or Diego Costa would have been the ideal addition to David Moyes’ squad, while speaking to talkSPORT (2 February, 9.30am).
The Hammers may be sitting pretty in fifth, just four points off the Champions League places after their best start to a season since 1985/86, but, as ever, there is a storm brewing above the London Stadium.
The West Ham fans are a demanding bunch but, as the transfer window closed on Monday night, you can understand their frustrations.
The Premier League high-flyers spent the whole month scouring the market for a new centre-forward to fill a Sebastien Haller-shaped void in Moyes’ squad.
In the end, the only new arrival was Jesse Lingard – yet another attacking midfielder.
West Ham made a £13 million bid for Bournemouth forward Josh King in October but, for whatever reason, opted against entering the race as the Norway international moved to Everton for a cut-price £5 million late on Monday night (Mail).
And Jarvis, the former West Ham winger, believes his old employers might have been put off by a series of high-profile striking flops, from Haller to Modibo Maiga, Jordan Hugill to Albian Ajeti.
“I think (King) was definitely an option for them. I’m sure West Ham probably went in for him or even just spoke to someone about him. To get the deal Everton got for him, he would have been a very good option for sure,” Jarvis said.
“It’s frustrating for West Ham fans but I feel like they were trying to be a bit more cautions on how much they were spending on a striker.”
Former Chelsea hero Diego Costa was also linked after terminating his contract with Atletico Madrid.
“(Costa) would have certainly been a fantastic signing,” Jarvis added. “He’d have been perfect in the sense of how West Ham want to play; he shows passion, he shows aggression and he scores goals.”
Given that Costa is still without a club, there is nothing to stop West Ham making a move for the Spain international outside of the window. But the Hammers have had their fingers burned before when signing big-name veterans whose best days are behind them.
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