Moyes eyeing ‘understudy’ for £70k-p/w foward in January

West Ham want an understudy to Michail Antonio rather than a big-name striker, believes journalist Paul Brown.

The £70,000-a-week star is currently the only recognised centre-forward in West Ham’s squad, so it would not be a surprise if manager David Moyes made that position a priority in the transfer window next month

Who have West Ham been linked with?

Since the summer, West Ham have been linked with plenty of different strikers.

Tammy Abraham was thought to be high on their list, but the England international went on to join AS Roma from Chelsea in a £34m deal.

More recently, there has been talk about the Hammers wanting to sign Basel’s Arthur Cabral. According to Goal, they have already made contact with the Brazilian, though they face competition from Premier League rivals Newcastle United and Spanish giants Barcelona.
Cabral has been in excellent form for Basel this season, already scoring over 20 goals in all competitions, so it will be interesting to see if a centre-forward like that would accept an initial back-up role.

What has Paul Brown said about West Ham’s pursuit of a new striker?

Based on the names that have been popping up, Brown does not think West Ham will be in the market for a marquee striker.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the Daily Star journalist said: “The kind of strikers they’ve been looking at around Europe so far would suggest that they’re not really looking for that kind of player. They want someone who is willing to start off as the understudy and see how things go.”