Speaking recently on the U Irons podcast, Roshane Thomas revealed that the signing of a striker is the priority for West Ham United in January.
Arriving at the club in what was a £45 million move from Eintracht Frankfurt – a club where he scored 33 goals and provided 19 assists over 77 appearances – Haller struggled to replicate his form while at the German side during his time in east London, scoring 14 goals and providing three assists over 53 appearances for the Hammers, before the club sold the striker to Ajax in a £20.25 million deal – registering almost a £25 million loss.
And, as Haller’s sale has left David Moyes with Michail Antonio as the only recognised striker in his first-team squad, Thomas, speaking on a recent episode of the U Irons podcast, claimed that additions to the attacking department are West Ham’s priority in the current market.
He said: “[West Ham] didn’t anticipate selling Haller this early in the window, hence why now we’re not going to be in a rush to bring a striker. It still remains a priority, but right now West Ham’s stance is, ‘We’re going to take our time. We’re going to wait for the right player to become available, and then we’ll make our move’.
“If you look back on West Ham’s dealings in the [transfer] windows, quite often West Ham will do their business late. West Ham are not a club who will do the business first week or second week, it tends to be the last week.
“Last January they signed [Jarrod] Bowen on deadline day, [Tomas] Soucek two days before deadline [day]. So yeah, I expect West Ham to be very busy late on in the window.”
Do West Ham need to sign a striker in Jan?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Roshane Thomas’ comments regarding West Ham’s transfer strategy…
If Thomas is to be believed, while a replacement for Haller does appear to be the primary target in the current window, the journalist does not expect the club to make any moves until much later on in January.
However, in our opinion, this is not a particularly wise approach to making signings, as it is not difficult to imagine a selling club bumping their asking price up for a player later on in the market, as they would require compensation for not being afforded the chance to replace their outgoing player, while this strategy also increases the chances of West Ham struggling to get any potential deal completed prior to the transfer deadline.