West Ham United’s failure to land a “marquee” striker this summer has been brought sharply into focus by 20-goal milestone.
West Ham United’s Adrian, Dimitri Payet and team mates look dejected
Five defeats from their first seven Premier League games, infighting among fans at their new 60,000 seater Olympic Stadium home, resentment towards owners and concerns over safety have soured the Hammers’ season so far.
Slaven Bilic‘s side have just one win to their name so far and even then they scraped past Bournemouth 1-0.
The Hammers were also embarrassingly dumped out of the Europa League by Romanian minnows Astra Giurgiu for the second season running.
Four points from a possible 21 has left the club in the relegation zone and made Bilic the new favourite to be the next manager sacked.
Slaven Bilic enjoyed a fantastic first season
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 with 13 new signings and the likes of James Tomkins leaving to join Alan Pardew‘s Eagles.
West Ham United’s Simone Zaza looks dejected
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, 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 for their new club.
Meanwhile the five strikers West Ham were linked with all summer – who would have justified the “marquee” tag more comfortably – have shown the Hammers what they are missing out on but already surpassing 20 goals between them less than a quarter of the way through the new campaign.
Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi celebrates
The east Londoners missed out on rivals Chelsea to Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi who has scored three goals in six appearances so far.
AC Milan star Carlos Bacca could not be lured to the Olympic Stadium and he has been on fire, scoring five goals in as many games so far.
Palace beat West Ham to the signing of Christian Benteke from Liverpool and are already regretting it, watching the big Belgian score three goals in five games for the Selhurst Park side.
Then there is Lyon’s French star Alexandre Lacazette – the man Hammers fans wanted most – who has hit six goals in four appearances so far.
Lacazette has the best record of the lot
And what of Wissam Ben Yedder, the talented former Toulouse man who was a serious target for the Hammers at one stage before sealing a move to La Liga side Sevilla?
Well he too has hit the ground running in a new country and league, scoring four goals in eight games so far in Spain.
So there you have it, West Ham wanted a 20-goal a season striker and now have to sit and watch as the targets they once coveted surpass that mark and all look well set individually to hit that milestone for their various clubs.
Meanwhile Bilic has Andy Carroll, Ande Ayew, Diafra Sakho, Jonathan Calleri, Simone Zaza and Ashley Fletcher in his squad but – whether through injury or poor form – is yet to witness any of them score a goal.
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