West Ham United will surely need new strikers this summer.
West Ham United may not have been too busy in January, but Manuel Pellegrini and co must be gearing up for a hugely busy summer transfer window.
The Hammers brought in Samir Nasri and young winger Mesaque Dju last month, and despite intense speculation, none of their strikers ended up leaving.
Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez and Lucas Perez were all linked with exits, and whilst no moves materialised, they may well move on this summer.
The Telegraph report that Arnautovic has been told he can go this summer after rejecting bids from Chinese clubs, in a move which would no doubt bring in major money.
Valencia wanted Javier Hernandez last month and he wanted to go before West Ham stood firm according to Sky Sports, whilst they also claimed that Lucas Perez was close to a move to Real Betis before a move fell apart.
Add in that Andy Carroll is out of contract this summer and hasn’t really justified receiving a new deal, there could be four strikers leaving West Ham at the end of the season – and surely four coming in.
West Ham have no other senior strikers to come in if those four leave, and it means that fans should brace themselves for an influx of attacking talent this summer.
With other areas to strengthen though, West Ham need to be smart. Outside of Arnautovic, West Ham won’t get big money back for their strikers, and they will need to ensure they have money for other areas.
Signing four strikers won’t come cheap, so loans, free agents and players with release clauses – like Fabian Balbuena last summer – should be on the radar alongside one major striker to replace Arnautovic, in what could be a tricky yet exciting transfer window for Pellegrini.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
