The January transfer window is almost upon us and West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic should learn a lesson from rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal.
The Hammers’ failure to land a “marquee” striker during the summer has been brought sharply into focus during a torrid second season under Bilic.
It is a far cry from last season when West Ham enjoyed their best ever points total of the Premier League era, recorded a first positive goal difference since 1986 and finished just four points off the Champions League places in their emotional farewell campaign at Upton Park.
Since then a huge turnaround of nearly 20 players has seen the squad transformed – and arguably diluted – with 13 new signings and the likes of James Tomkins leaving to join Crystal Palce, Victor Moses returning to Chelsea and Alex Song departing for Russia.
West Ham co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold
Despite co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold bizarrely announcing to the world they were willing to spend over £30million on a striker who could get 20 goals back in May, Bilic ended up with flop Simone Zaza on loan from Juventus as their big name signing.
Ashley Fletcher, Jonathan Calleri and Andre Ayew were the other strikers signed and the four players have one thing in common, none of them have scored a Premier League goal for their new club – indeed they only have one goal in all competitions between them.
With Andy Carroll’s injury problems and Diafra Sakho likely to miss most of the rest of the season, the club’s failure to land a top striker has been sorely exposed.
Under pressure: West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
But Bilic needs only to look at loftier rivals Spurs and Arsenal for evidence that it isn’t easy to find a 20-goal striker.
If the Gunners and Tottenham, with the initial added carrot of Champions League football, could not find one then why do West Ham think they would be able to.
A defeatist attitude perhaps, but a realistic one.
Tottenham’s Vincent Janssen looks dejected
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino ended up with Vincent Janssen while Wenger – under pressure to challenge for the title – opted to sign little known Lucas Perez.
Neither has had a big impact and neither was cheap either.
The pressure will be on Bilic to find a solution to West Ham’s profligacy in January.
But if he couldn’t find the answers in the summer – when he was linked with a host of players including Carlos Bacca, Michy Batshuayi and Christian Benteke – then there is little hope in what is a notoriously difficult window.
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