Just when it looked like Niclas Fullkrug was gaining traction in a West Ham shirt, the curse struck.
West Ham’s forwards simply cannot thrive.
The Hammers’ litany of transfer blunders meant they were still relying on Michail Antonio for the 2024/25 season with star right-winger Jarrod Bowen as a contingency plan. Fullkrug, 31, was the next man identified to provide goal-scoring relief in the summer, but a hamstring injury means he could potentially he won’t be there for the next three months after five starts and a couple of goals.
With Antonio out indefinitely and Bowen absent with a broken foot, new head coach Graham Potter is short on options.
whether West Ham opting for a short- or long-term solution this month is not important. Potter needs a striker now. Here are four potential options in the January transfer window.
Having entered the final six months of his contract at Lille, Jonathan David, who is no stranger to transfer rumours, will be linked with any club in need of a striker.
West Ham certainly fit the bill, with the Canada international the highest-profile candidate to potentially enter the poisoned chalice in east London.
David has been a reliable goalscorer for years in France, with his numbers soaring since the 2022/23 campaign. The striker scored 54 goals in his previous 88 games in Ligue 1. Some of David’s strikes have come from the penalty spot, but there’s no denying the Canadian’s ability as a clinical poacher and versatile striker.
West Ham could be the beneficiary of David’s improvement, with the player’s contract situation meaning the Premier League club would not have to spend money to bring him to the London Stadium.
If Potter likes to acquire a forward familiar with the Premier Leaguemaybe Evan Ferguson is the route they will go down.
The new West Ham manager oversaw Ferguson’s emergence at Brighton, handing the then-teenage striker his Premier League debut in February 2022. The Irishman’s breakthrough, however, came under Roberto De Zerbi .
Still, Ferguson is certainly a player Potter appreciates and the striker’s profile would be ideal for this West Ham team. He is an imposing presence capable of holding up the ball and running the channels, but his career at Brighton has stalled.
He has barely had a look since the appointment of Fabian Hurzeler, with the young German manager generally preferring Joao Pedro or Georginio Rutter in charge in Danny Welbeck’s enforced absence. As a result, Brighton he may be willing to let Ferguson go out on loan this month, and would be a great short-term solution for the Irons.
Premier League clubs have been on a big buying spree in the Championship of late, with Morgan Rogers the latest talent from the second tier to shine in the top flight.
West Ham have dipped their toes into lucrative markets of late, but they may be better served by venturing back to humble Championship roots this month.
Latte Lath dominated last season, scoring eight times in Middlesbrough’s last six league games. That form has continued into 2024/25 with the 26-year-old netting ten times this season, proving his hot streak to conclude 2023/24 was no fluke.
His competition in 2024 has seen the likes of Leeds take an interest, while Atlanta United have tabled a £20m bid. Would West Ham be willing to pay more for a Championship striker?
There were rumblings of a falling out with Sean Dyche, so Calvert-Lewin may see the return of David Moyes to reignite his Everton career.
The target has scored twice in the Premier League this season.
At his best, DCL is Potter’s perfect striker. He works as an effective focal point who is also able to stretch defenses with runs in behind and poaching inside the box.
However, the utopian iteration of the 27-year-old forward has barely manifested itself since Carlo Ancelotti was in town and Everton began the 2020/21 season as the division’s most entertaining team (which lasted a month).
In many ways, Calvert-Lewin is very West Ham. Injury-prone and on the sidelines, he would oddly be ideal to continue the Hammers striker’s curse.
