West Ham wanted Shane Long from Southampton but he’s hardly in the form of his life right now.
Monday evening would be about the perfect time for Shane Long to end his goal drought. The Republic of Ireland travel to Wales in a winner-takes-all clash for World Cup qualification at the Cardiff City stadium and Martin O’Neill will be praying that his star centre-forward finds his form in the most dramatic of moments.
Long is now 25 games, or 1,170 minutes, without a goal for club and country and missed a trio of excellent chances during Friday’s 2-0 win against Moldova.
“Look, it’s hard not be frustrated. I want to score goals for my country but I’ll keep believing and it will come,” Long said in quotes reported by The Mirror, his last goal coming in February.
And while O’Neil and Mauricio Pellegrino, his manager at Southampton, may cheer louder than anyone if the quick-footed striker finally breaks his duck at the Cardiff City Stadium, fans of West Ham will be a little less concerned by his current malaise.
And while West Ham have hardly been prolific this season, manager Slaven Bilic admitting that he is struggling to get the best out of Andy Carroll and Javier Hernandez, Long’s performances in West Brom colours at least spare the club from further criticism.
The former Hull City striker has featured in six Premier League games this season and failed to hit the net. Long hardly set the world alight in 2016/17 either, scoring three times in 32 fixtures.
He has his qualities, of course, genuine pace in behind and a commendable work ethic meaning countless Southampton managers have made Long a crucial part of their team.
However, Long has never been the most prolific of strikers and a 25 game goalless streak bares that fact in brutal fashion – West Ham, then, won’t be cursing their failure to get a deal done.
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