Sam Allardyce admits he can’t wait to have a match fit striker to pick after having to employ a 4-6-0 formation in the last two Premier League games.
The approach worked perfectly in the 3-0 away to Tottenham Hotspur, but Manchester City were too good for the Hammers in the second outing without a recognised striker and ran out comfortable 3-1 winners.
And after Modibo Maiga failed to find the net in West Ham’s opening six league games, Allardyce is now looking forward to Carlton Cole getting match fit and the much anticipated return of Andy Carroll.
He told whufc.com: “I don’t want to continue playing without a front man. Certainly not in games when it’s more important to play with a front man.
“Carlton Cole is fit now but he’s not match fit. In pre-season terms he’s still four weeks off but we have to bring that forward as quickly as we possibly can. He’ll certainly come in to the equation for when we play Burnley.
“Andy is the main man we bought in the summer to be our leader on the front line, once he gets fit and up and running again he will not only score goals but also create opportunities for lots of other players to score goals.”
And Carroll’s return is edging closer and closer, with Allardyce hoping to be given a potential return date on Monday.
“He’s still in Belgium and improving week by week,” he added.
“We hope to speak to the specialist on Monday and hopefully he’ll be able to give us a date of when he’ll be back with us.
“It’s very important that we get him back as soon as possible.”
