A pundit reckons West Ham should sign a Manchester United striker target to compete with Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio for a starting spot at the London Stadium.
West Ham had just one striker, in the form of Antonio, from January 2021 to summer 2022. They tried to solve the problem by bringing in a few big-name goalscorers but were unsuccessful on each occasion.
For example, West Ham submitted an offer for Uruguay hitman Darwin Nunez. However, their proposal wasn’t enough to convince Benfica to sell. And Nunez went on to join Liverpool in an £85million deal this summer.
Luckily for David Moyes, the Irons eventually landed an attacker. They captured Scamacca from Sassuolo by spending £35.5m. And he went on to pen a five-year contract in east London.
Scamacca has done well since arriving in England, scoring six goals in 20 appearances. He is yet to hit the heights truly expected of him but he certainly looks like he has the attributes to be Antonio’s successor up front.
Despite Scamacca’s fairly recent arrival, West Ham are already being tipped to sign another centre-forward. Numerous outlets have linked them with Blackburn Rovers ace Ben Brereton Diaz.
He has proven he is too good for the Championship by notching 22 goals in 39 games last season. And this term, Brereton Diaz is on 10 strikes from 22 outings.
West Ham’s pursuit of him got more complicated recently as Manchester United were tipped to launch a move.
Man Utd involved in hunt for Blackburn man
As per Graeme Bailey of 90Min, Erik ten Hag’s side have been scouting him in recent weeks. It seems Brereton Diaz is a surprise contender to replace Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford, no matter how unlikely that may sound.
Man Utd could lose out on Brereton Diaz though as one pundit reckons West Ham will win the race for his services. And the two parties will suit each other, too.
“I think every manager will tell you they want as many strikers as possible,” Alan Hutton said when asked about Brereton Diaz during an interview with Football Insider.
“Especially ones that can score goals so it does not surprise me. There has been interest before. I think he is probably ready now to take that next step.
West Ham ‘would be good’ for Ben Brereton Diaz
“I think the likes of West Ham would be a good club for him. Scamacca has come in and done well, Antonio has had to be on the bench recently.
“I think you always want options especially in the Premier League. I think it would be a good buy if they can get him for the right money.
“He has proved himself in the Championship so it is time to go and have a crack at the big league and I am sure he is more than capable.”
Brereton Diaz certainly appears to be more of a West Ham signing than a Man Utd one.
Red Devils fans will expect a huge name to arrive in Manchester as Ronaldo’s replacement. After they failed to land Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting from Bayern Munich, the most likely solution seems to be Napoli’s Victor Osimhen.
He will not arrive on the cheap, as Napoli value him at a whopping £85m. But this might be the massive type of transfer Man Utd supporters will be hoping for.
