West Ham have been expected to land a new striker in January with goals proving hard to come by in the final third. Michail Antonio’s car accident, which consequently led to him having a surgery, will sideline him for a significant time and thus, the Hammers’ pursuit of a central forward has accelerated.
According to Football Insider, they are pondering over a loan move for Brighton & Hove Albion star Evan Ferguson. The Irishman is keen on departing the Amex Stadium for regular minutes and the Hammers are keen on providing him with the game time he desires, though there is expected to be competition from Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.
Ferguson was the cream of the crop among the younger Premier League strikers and had garnered interest from the likes of Chelsea, with Brighton also being bullish about his potential and slapping him with a £100 million price tag. It seems as though West Ham can sign the player at a superb bargain, albeit temporarily.
West Ham will be favourites for Ferguson
If Evan Ferguson ends up leaving Brighton on loan in January, the Seagulls as well as the player are likely to want a Premier League club to acquire him. That would rule Leeds United out of the equation. Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest have Chris Wood leading their line and thus, Ferguson may not get consistent minutes under Nuno Espirito Santo.
At West Ham, however, there is a serious need for a centre forward with Niklas Fullkrug struggling with fitness, whereas Danny Ings has also been facing a goal drought. Ferguson would be a terrific new addition and help the Hammers find their feet for the second half of the season as they look to overcome an extremely poor few months since the campaign got underway.
It will be interesting to see if any club is keen on his permanent signing, however, in which case West Ham’s bid to land him on a loan could be at risk.
