Six Diafra Sakho alternatives West Ham should consider

Where do we start with Diafra Sakho?

A £4m signing from French side FC Metz, may thought that this is a similar signing to Modibo Maiga, and look how he turned out. However, nine goals in all competitions for the club later, the Senegalese is fast becoming one of the most potent strikers in the Premier League, and is considered one of the bargain buys of the season.

Sadly, Sakho, who was due to go to the African Cup of Nations with his native Senegal, is now unavailable for the tournament due to a back injury which started with the national side on international duty in November, much to Senegal’s annoyance.

With a flurry of strikers at the club already and the January transfer window well under way, here are some replacements or alternatives that West Ham should consider to replace Sakho…

Click on the man himself to reveal

Bafetimbi Gomis

Despite only joining Swansea City in the summer from Ligue 1 side Lyon, the striker has already been linked with a move away from the Liberty Stadium, with some reports saying he is unsettled in Wales.

Like Sakho, Gomis‘s best attribute is finding space behind the opposition defence and using his incredible pace to create a perfect goal scoring opportunity. Also blessed with skill, this was very evident in Swansea’s 6-2 FA Cup third round win at League One side Tranmere Rovers where the Frenchman bagged a brace.

With a price tag of £8-10m being touted, this might be out of West Ham’s budget, but surely it’s worth a try to sign him?

Danny Ings

Yes, he is playing for a team that are doomed for relegation, but Danny Ings is proving that he can play for a bigger club in the Premier League by producing some stellar performances for Burnley.

The former Bournemouth striker is the Clarets main attacking threat, and not only is he lethal in front of goal, but the England U-21 international has an incredible work rate, something that the West Ham faithful truly adore for anyone that pulls on that clarets and blue shirt.

Ings’ current deal at Turf Moor runs out this summer, and there is no doubt, that there will be plenty of competition for his signature. So if the Hammers are to make a bid for the forward, then they’ll have to get in there quick.

Luiz Adriano

Many might be thinking, who is Luiz Adriano? Simply put it, he’s a Brazilian playing for Ukrainian side Shakhter Donetsk, and they have plenty of South American talent in their side.

Adriano has been scoring goals for fun, and is your all round striker. Pace, height and an eye for goal, Adriano has scored nine goals in the Champions League this season, which included scoring five in one game against BATE Borisov away from home. Adriano also assisted in two of the goals on his debut for the Brazil national side in November against Turkey.

The Brazilian is another forward who is out of contract in the summer, but can the late developer do without European football if he joins West Ham? If he sees the ambition of the club, then he might seek a move to East London.

Andre-Pierre Gignac

In recent days, reports are claiming that Andre-Pierre Gignac’s agent is attempting to force a move through for his client to move to Upton Park, whether it’s in January or in the summer transfer window.

Top Scorer in France, Gignac is a strong, imposing and aggressive character which will frighten opposition defences.

With the tall talisman a target for clubs mainly in England and Turkey, many would fear that the Hammers would go back to their direct football that angered fans if Gignac was in a West Ham shirt partnering fellow target man Andy Carroll.
Again, Gignac is out of contract, so a cheap deal could be struck this month.

Sebastian Giovinco

West Ham’s chances of getting this special talent on board are slim, but if the Hammers can sign players of the calibre of Alex Song, then there is no harm in bidding for Sebastian Giovinco.

The Juventus playmaker, who can play as a midfielder or striker is blessed with trickery, vision and awareness and with Sakho out injured and Mauro Zarate out on loan to QPR for the remainder of the season, then pulling of this signing will be a major coup.

Giovinco is out of contract in the summer and not a first team regular in Turin, however, with the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur keeping close tabs of the situation with the Italy international then West Ham are down the pecking order for Giovinco.

Elliot Lee

West Ham pride themselves on bringing through young English talent with their famous ‘Acadamy of Football’, and if the Hammers are reluctant to fork out more money on players then Elliot Lee could quite easily slot into the first team fold.

At 20 years of age, and son of former Newcastle United and West Ham player Rob Lee, Lee has a stocky build, and has an eye to hit the back of the net. Lee finished last season scoring an impressive eight goals in 14 games for the development squad, and even made a cameo appearance in West Ham’ 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Stoke City at the start of last season campaign.

After spending time at League Two outfit Southend United this season, Lee returned early after picking up an injury. The best the Hammers can do is get him back to full fitness and see what he can properly do in the first team because he definitely has the quality.