West Ham has reportedly initiated contact to secure the services of a forward earning £164,000 per week, a player highly regarded by Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.
Hammers search for new striker
The injury setback to their preferred striker, Michail Antonio, has presented a challenge for manager David Moyes. Although Antonio’s injury is less severe than initially feared, West Ham faces a shortage of natural forward options.
Manager Moyes has considered deploying star winger Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus in more central roles as alternatives to Antonio. Additionally, he can choose from makeshift options and the currently out-of-favor forward, Danny Ings. Even before Antonio’s injury, West Ham had been prioritizing the acquisition of a new number nine, with technical director Tim Steidten actively identifying potential options.
Among the targeted forwards is Stuttgart star Serhou Guirassy, while there are reports suggesting Moyes might revisit a move for Hugo Ekitike, whom they failed to sign from Paris-Saint Germain in the summer. Pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor, commenting before Antonio’s recent absence, emphasized the necessity of a new forward for West Ham in January.
“100%. Antonio, similar to myself, struggles with hamstring injuries,” said the former Villa striker.
“When you’re that quick and strong, you’re always going to get muscle injuries. It’s when, not if. Antonio shouldn’t be playing in the Europa League groups. They need another player to come in and start, but Danny Ings isn’t at that level.
“They definitely need to get another one in January, or you could be looking at bringing someone from the Under-23s or playing Benrahma as a false nine. They’ve definitely got to watch Antonio’s minutes.”
According to a report in The Mirror’s print edition (via West Ham Zone), West Ham has reached out to sign Timo Werner from RB Leipzig.
West Ham make contact to sign Werner
The German international is currently out of favor at Leipzig and is open to a return to the Premier League, making West Ham a viable option. Fulham and Crystal Palace have also expressed interest in Werner, who has scored 11 goals in 35 Bundesliga appearances since rejoining Leipzig from Chelsea in 2022.
Liverpool had previously been linked with Werner, and Klopp has openly praised him as a “great player.” Klopp’s admiration for Werner was expressed in 2020, where he acknowledged the timing and opportunity as crucial factors in any potential move.
“Timo Werner is a great player, Kai Havertz is a great player,” Klopp said in 2020.
“Right time, opportunity – everything has to come together. Six, seven weeks ago, we didn’t know if we could play again this year. If we hadn’t played the second half of the season, we would have thought, ‘OK, when can you really play football again?’ And now it starts right away.”
It remains to be seen whether West Ham will pursue their interest in Werner, given his substantial weekly salary of £164,000 (according to Salary Sport).
