West Ham United snapped up Jordan Hugill from Preston North End last month.
West Ham United new boy Jordan Hugill has told the club’s official website that he learned a lot from former Preston North End teammate Kevin Davies.
The Hammers were looking for a striker during the January transfer window after taking Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario on loan, and they pulled off a deal in the final moments of transfer deadline day.
West Ham swooped to land Preston North End striker Jordan Hugill, with BBC Sport reporting that the fee involved was £10million as David Moyes’ men beat off competition from Crystal Palace.
Hugill, 25, hit 13 goals in all competitions last season, and also bagged 10 goals in 29 appearances this term, having become Preston’s first-choice striker following the departure of Joe Garner in 2016.
Having played in non-league football for the likes of Seaham Red Star, Consett, Marske United and Whitby Town and Gateshead, Hugill’s move to the Premier League caps off a dream ascent in recent years, and he has discussed his biggest influences.
Hugill, speaking to West Ham’s official website, admitted that Alan Shearer and Fabrizio Ravanelli were his heroes growing up in the north east, and he also praised the influence of former Preston teammate Kevin Davies.
Davies – who was a favourite of ex-West Ham manager Sam Allardyce at Bolton Wanderers – played alongside Hugill at Preston during the 2014-15 season, and seemingly had a huge impact on the new West Ham man.
Hugill noted that he took a lot from Davies in terms using his body without fouling defenders and how to lead the line as a centre forward, and may just give a hint to West Ham fans about what kind of striker he is; another battering ram-style forward, rather than a poacher like Javier Hernandez.
“When I joined Preston, Kevin Davies was there at the time and to have him there was massive for me,” said Hugill. “I remember the League Cup final when Middlesbrough won it in 2004 and Kevin was playing for Bolton.”
“The way he played, a lot of people said we were quite similar in some ways and different in others. He’s a big, strong lad and when he got going he picked up pace, so the way he moved in relation to the ball, using his body without fouling, I managed to take some stuff away from him,” he added.
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