With the plethora of injuries hitting West Ham, as well as the January transfer window fast approaching, it’s inevitable that we’ve have been linked with several players in recent weeks.
The rumour of Charlie Austin moving from West to East London is still surfacing, while the likes of Leeds right-back Sam Byram and Burnley defender Tendayi Darikwa have also been linked as an alternatives to on-loan Arsenal man Carl Jenkinson, who has simply not showed the form or performances of last season.
Meanwhile, centre-half James Collins put speculation of him linking up with Sam Allardyce at relegation threatened Sunderland to bed recently by putting pen to paper on a new two year deal, but striker Andy Carroll is still being linked back to a move to the North East.
Welcome to the January transfer window everyone!
Nevertheless, one player who has already proved that he has talent is Gokhan Tore. Some of you might see this name and think ‘who the hell is that’ but if he is also being courted by Premier League title contenders Arsenal, then he must be doing something right.
The German-born Turkish international had a promising youth career with Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen before Chelsea saw some potential in him and snapped him up 2009.
Despite impressing in the youth set up at Stamford Bridge, Tore failed to gain a first team appearance and there were plenty of suitors from around Europe circling like vultures.
Eventually, he chose to return to the Bundesliga with Hamburg, which proved unsuccessful, scoring zero goals in 22 games. This warranted a move to Russian outfit Rubin Kazan, where again he failed to score and made just five appearances in two years.
However, Tore allegedly threatened to shoot Omer Toprak and Hakan Cahanoglu on international duty with Turkey over an apparent affair with Tore’s ex-girlfriend, which Cahanoglu mentioned in an interview and made it public.
The next year in 2014, in Tore’s first at Besiktas, Tore was shot in a Turkish nightclub and played the following week. It’s safe to say he’s not a quiet person!
This season at Beskitas, where he has been for the past two years and played under the stewardship of Hammers boss Slaven Bilic, Tore has bagged four goals since the start of August 2015.
It’s quite notable Tore is not a potent goal scorer, however, if Tore is to be reunited with his former boss Bilic, then Tore would definitely bring assists, raw pace and flair into the side.
There is one problem for the 23-year-old, though, and that is Michail Antonio. Earlier in the season, when Antonio failed to get in sight of first team action since his £7m move from Nottingham Forest, Tore was linked with a move to the Boleyn Ground to replace Antonio.
However, Antonio has been a revelation since being inducted in the starting XI and the injured Hammers players, especially on loan Chelsea wide man Victor Moses, will find it hard to regain their starting place in a claret and blue shirt.
Replacing Antonio with Tore is quite frankly unthinkable right now.
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