Julen Lopetegui and West Ham are on the hunt for a clinical striker, to provide goals for the team and take the burden away from the wide players, such as Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus.
The performances of Michail Antonio and Danny Ings haven't been of the standard needed, at least from a goalscoring perspective, with Antonio scoring seven goals in 32 appearances and Ings only scoring one goal, in his 30 appearances in 2023/24.
There have been many striker links already, including Aston Villa's Jhon Duran, and Borussia Dortmund's Niclas Füllkrug, who could both prove good options to improve their clinical finishing around the box.
West Ham transfer news
According to French outlet L'Equipe, West Ham have entered the race for RC Lens striker, Elye Wahi, along with Leicester City, who are also believed to be interested.
The report mentions Chelsea as another team who registered interest earlier this month, and is now saying the Premier League trio could table the first offer in 'the next few hours'.
Wahi made 37 appearances in all competitions for Lens last season, scoring 12 goals, providing four assists – totalling 2,395 minutes of football.
Why Wahi can be West Ham's own Osimhen
Now, of course, Victor Osimhen is widely regarded as a "world-class striker" – as dubbed by Jose Mourinho – having made 32 appearances last campaign for Napoli, scoring 17 goals and providing four assists in his 2,476 minutes.
Interestingly, FBref's 'similar players' feature likens Wahi to reported Chelsea target, Osimhen and has the Nigerian striker as Wahi's most comparable striker in Europe's top five leagues.
Stats (per 90 mins)
Wahi
Osimhen
Non-Penalty Goals
0.43
0.52
Shots Total
2.89
3.73
Shots on Target
1.33
1.55
xG: Expected Goals
0.50
0.65
Assists
0.16
0.11
Shot-Creating Actions
1.99
2.47
Progressive Carries
2.66
1.59
Aerials Won
0.55
1.81
Regarded as a "jewel" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Wahi even showed his goal-scoring prowess the season prior, scoring 19 goals in 33 games played. And the metrics show Wahi to be a clinical finisher, who is most dangerous when in and around the box.
Ranking closely in shooting metrics to one of the elites in Europe, Wahi averages 2.89 shots per 90, of which 1.33 are on target, producing an xG of 0.50 per 90. But the 21-year-old can also be involved in the build-up.
Producing 2.66 progressive carries per 90, which ranks in the top 12% among forwards in the top five leagues, Wahi can drive his team forwards using his carrying qualities, as well as provide for others, as seen by his 0.16 assists per 90, ranking higher than Osimhen in this metric.
The Lens striker – who currently earns around £48k per week according to FBref – could prove to be a very good value for money move at the striker position, offering goal threat, but also the ability to link play in attacking zones.
It may be West Ham's London rivals who will be getting their hands on Osimhen, but Lopetegui and the Hammers could be in the mix to land the next best thing.
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ByConnor HoldenJul 31, 2024