An update on West Ham’s hunt for a new striker this month has been provided on Monday.
And, for the most part, it does not look to be great news for the Hammers.
The Telegraph report that, though stranger things have happened, don’t expect West Ham United to have any luck with their pursuit of Benfica striker Darwin Nunez.
It would require a huge fee and the player would take some convincing. So, though not ruled out completely, it does look as though West Ham will not be signing a striker in January.
Will West Ham get a deal done for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez today? @SamJDean has the latest #WHUFC
Live #DeadlineDay updates with @UcheAmako https://t.co/bEfhZeGI1f pic.twitter.com/8pmNlSYyi4
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) January 31, 2022
Can West Ham cope without a striker?
This leads to the question of whether or not West Ham are able to cope without another striker for the rest of the season.
The Hammers are currently having a superb season, battling it out for a top-six spot once again.
However, unlike in 2020/21, West Ham are now set for further European games in February when they restart their Europa League campaign.
Given Michail Antonio is fairly injury prone, will he be able to cope with the immense workload that comes with playing even more European football in what has already been a hectic season?
And even if Antonio does stay fit, will the striker be able to maintain top form? He already had a concerning patch of form between week 10 and week 17 of the 2021/22 PL season. And if Antonio experiences something like that again and there is no other striker to help share the load, it could prove detrimental to West Ham’s campaign.
