Relegation or not, it’s extremely likely that West Ham will head into the summer transfer window looking to sign a striker once again.
The winter arrivals of Taty Castellanos and Pablo have proved vital in boosting Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side’s chances of survival, with the pair helping the Hammers go from two points adrift of safety in January to two points above the relegation zone with four games to play.
But while their performances have helped transform West Ham’s form, especially in the final third, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Nuno intends to bring in another prolific goalscorer in the summer, especially if top-flight survival is achieved.
If relegation is confirmed, it’s likely at least one of Taty and Pablo are sold, probably both.
Meanwhile, Callum Wilson’s future at the club remains in question despite proving to be a huge match-winning asset to bring off the bench.
So it’s little wonder why we’re already seeing West Ham being linked with strikers ahead of the summer transfer window.
West Ham “making moves”
According to a very popular transfer insider on X, the Hammers are “making moves” for Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.
The Senegal international has spent the season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he has registered 10 goals and four assists in 29 appearances in all competitions for the German giants.
As Harry Kane’s understudy in the Bundesliga, the 24-year-old has enjoyed a successful loan spell away from London but Bayern have since confirmed that they will not be activating their option to buy for the forward for €65million.
Chelsea are expected to undergo yet another squad overhaul this summer following the departures of both Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior this season, and it’s likely Jackson could be one of the players they’re open to selling if the right offer comes in.
Indeed, West Ham’s chances of convincing Jackson to swap West for East London will rely heavily on what division they’re playing in next season.
But even if they’re still a Premier League outfit, reported interest in Jackson from Aston Villa and Newcastle also makes it a very difficult deal to get over the line from the very start.
Jackson would be a good fit for Hammers
Despite his struggle to be consistent enough for Chelsea, there’s no denying how good a fit he would be for West Ham in the Premier League.
His work rate, strength and clinical touch will be attributes Nuno will be looking for in a striker this summer.
At Chelsea, Jackson scored 24 goals and created 10 assists in 65 Premier League appearances, which is almost a goal involvement every two games.
If you add that to a front line involving Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville, Taty and Pablo – who have been involved in 29 of West Ham’s 42 Premier League goals between them this season – you get a group of attackers all capable of chipping in consistently with attacking returns.
So Jackson would undoubtedly fit in at London Stadium if a deal can be done in the summer, but there’s still a long way to go before that’s even close to becoming a reality.
