Over the past few seasons we’ve seen our club buy some flops from foreign leagues, but unearth some absolute brilliant deals from the lower English leagues.
Hammer of the Year Aaron Cresswell, Michail Antonio and Darren Randolph to mention are just a few worthy of mentioning. So if the club decide to dip into the Championship, who should they be looking at right now?
Here’s a look at six potential additions West Ham should be targeting…
Scott Hogan
As per the media speculation, he has been a priority target for the Hammers this January and clearly Bilic is a fan. This guy really does have it all. Despite a horrific knee injury early in his career, Hogan has grown into one of the country’s most prolific natural finisher.
The two footed, pacey striker peels off defenders and gets onto well placed through balls from his team mates. His nonchalant displays up top trick the back line in thinking his chance has passed – but little did they know that his acceleration from a turning position is the best I’ve seen since Dean Ashton during his Crewe Alexandra days.
At 24, and grabbing a goal every 168 minutes this season, he is the one in two striker we desperately need and for £12m, it’s a steal.
Dominic Iorfa
The Southend born right-back clearly has an ability to make it in the top leagues, the pacey defender can easily slot into Bilic’s latest formation by playing as a right wing back, allowing Antonio to push on into an attacking role.
Iorfa has also managed to pick up 12 U21 England caps, which is quite impressive for a player who has under 100 club appearances at his age. A wand of a right foot, he can whip low drilled crosses into the box, which would benefit any striker.
Jon Taylor
Liverpool born Taylor currently plays for Rotherham United after making a serious impression at Peterborough United, scoring 16 goals in 76 games.
The former Wigan athletic youngster is a very dynamic footballer with an eye for goal who should by all means be playing in the Premier League. He is 24-years-old and could link up well with Cresswell on the left hand side.
He uses his small frame well by reserving his pace and bursting down the wing with a low centre of gravity – very much reminds me of a young Shawn Wright-Phillips.
Will Grigg
I cannot stress enough how good this guy is! Last season he was in the form of his life, on fire to be precise. His form has dipped this season but this is mainly down to playing in a very poor Wigan Athletic side who are struggling in the Championship with low funds.
A cheeky deal of £4m could be on the cards as Wigan need the money to invest. A Northern Irish international with one goal to his name who, at 25-years-old, would create a fantastic partnership with Carroll or Sakho.
He is a poacher and gets a huge amount of goals within the 18-yard area, an area West Ham need more goals from. In his past three seasons he has scored 54 goals – that’s a goal every two games minimum – this form has made him feature in the Football League team of the year.
Jack Grealish
The 21-year-old Aston Villa player is the pick of the bunch from the Championship and I wouldn’t be surprised if he joined a Premier League club in this transfer window.
The attacking midfielder can also play as a winger and has a fantastic ability to run past defenders with ease. His stealth like play enables him to be a major part of the attacking front line and create vital goals from nothing positions.
Whilst at Aston Villa, Joe Cole mentored young Jack which enabled him to calm down on his partying days and to be more focused on his performances. His long slick dark hair and childlike shin pads make him stand out, but he wouldn’t look out of place with his nimble movement, which would gain fouls and free-kicks in Payet Territory and would provide more goal scoring opportunities.
Grealish playing alongside Lanzini as the two main attacking midfielders sitting behind a striker would certainly be the talking point at the London Stadium.
Will Hughes
The Derby County 21-year-old midfielder is pure class. If I had to buy a midfielder right here, right now, it would be him. Hughes bases his play on tiki-taka specialists Xavi and Iniesta, using his passing ability as his greatest strength.
The technically sound player would rarely give the ball away and would be vital in retaining possession, finding an opportunity to attack. He is considered a flair player who uses through balls and mazy runs to create space for his teammates. He has 17 U21 England caps and been in the fold for the past four years.
This guy is tipped for the top and although he suffered a nasty injury last season, he is the type of player would could feature in a top six Premier League side.
If Spurs do sell Dele Alli to a super club, this is the guy who would replace him. Highly rated at Derby, in the Championship and by former managers, it is time for him to move on and develop in the biggest league in Europe.
