Sébastien Haller's transfer to Dutch giants Ajax leaves Michail Antonio as the only senior striker available to manager David Moyes. As good as Antonio is Moyes is in desperate need of further striking options and will be determined to bring in at least one forward during the January transfer window.
The need for another striker is exacerbated by Antonio's recent injury record, with the Englishman having missed nearly 50% of West Ham's Premier League games so far this season. Moyes' worst nightmare would be for Antonio to aggravate his hamstring injury during Monday nights FA Cup third round fixture against Stockport County, leaving him with no first-choice striker available.
Haller's place must be filled, and quickly.
With that in mind football.london has taken a look at eight men who could be brought in to fill the gaping void in the West Ham squad.
Lassina Traoré - Ajax
As reported by football.london on Wednesday West Ham have an interest in Ajax teenager Traoré. With channels of communication already open between the two clubs over the Haller transfer, a request on the Burkino Faso internationals availability should be relatively simple. However, concluding a deal for a player when the selling club is intent on keeping their man may not be so simple.
Traoré has notched eight goals so far this season, and as many assists, in his 16 appearances, including five in one match, when Ajax thrashed VVV-Venlo 13-0, in October. The Burkinabe forward has played in a number of positions, as is expected of all Ajax youth team graduates, but has found a natural home as an out and out striker. Traoré has already netted five times in ten international appearances. and would join West Ham ready for first-team action.
Adam Hložek - Sparta Prague
Another player football.london recently reported to be on West Ham's radar is 18-year-old Czech international Adam Hložek . In the past 12-months, the Hammers have made two incredibly successful signings from the Czech league in Tomáš Souček and Vladimir Coufal. If Hložek signs and has anything like the impact of his compatriots the striker will quickly become a fan's favourite.
Hložek can play as a centre-forward, a second striker or from the left where he is comfortable cutting inside to unleash powerful right-footed shots. He is also well over 6ft tall and possesses excellent heading ability. If West Ham want to sign the Czech international they will have to act fast with the likes of Bayern Munich, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, and RB Leipzig all rumoured to have an interest in the player.
Josh King - Bournemouth
If there is one man that always crops up on lists of players West Ham are linked with then it is Josh King, and this January transfer window is no different. The Bournemouth frontman was the subject of Hammers transfer interest in the summer, as reported by football.london at the time, however, no deal between the two clubs was able to be finalised, so here we are again talking about the Norweigan international.
King is available on a free transfer in six months, but with Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion rumoured to be keen on signing the Championship player, West Ham may not be in a position to wait that long. The Hammers are believed to value King at £13m, with Bournemouth reported to have slapped a £15m price tag on him.
Moussa Dembélé- Lyon
Former Celtic striker Moussa Dembélé is wanted by West Ham, but according to Goal, the Lyon man is not keen on the switch to the London Stadium. Dembélé netted 24 goals in all competitions last season, however, the Frenchman has only managed one in 16 appearances this term.
Dembélé is currently sidelined with a broken arm and is not expected back to full fitness until mid-February, with West Ham one Antonio injury away from a striking disaster signing an injured player may not be the wisest of moves.
Ivan Toney - Brentford
Probably the most unlikely man on the list to make the move, but a player West Ham should go all out to sign. The former Newcastle youngster Toney has excelled under Thomas Frank at Brentford since joining in September, the striker sits joint-top of the goalscoring charts with 16 in 22 matches, with a further four assists to his name.
Toney signed for just £5m as a replacement for the Aston Villa bound Ollie Watkins and has settled in seamlessly. Whether it is with the Bees or another side it is surely only a matter of time before Toney follows his predecessor into the Premier League. Brentford will fight hard to keep their man though, currently sitting two points outside the automatic promotion spots it will take a ginormous bid to tempt the Bees into selling.
However, the transfer model at Brentford is designed upon smart recruitment before selling on at vast profits, see Watkins, Benrahma and Maupay as prime examples of this, so if Toney were to leave, the Bees would no doubt have a man lined up to fill his shoes immediately.
Boulaye Dia -Stade de Reims
The 24-year-old Senegalese international is in the form of his life having scored ten goals in 16 Ligue 1 games for French club Reims. French website Le10sport have reported that West Ham have identified Dia as the man to replace the departed Haller and will look to bring the striker in immediately.
Dia's sensational form this season sees him sit behind only Kylian Mbappé in the French goalscoring charts and has made the striker a wanted man across the Premier League with Arsenal, Everton and Newcastle also rumoured to be interested in a transfer.
Eddie Nketiah - Arsenal
Arsenal may not be willing to sell the highly-rated Nketiah, but a loan deal could be on the cards for the 21-year-old. Nketiah has been involved in every Premier League matchday squad for the Gunners this season but has only managed three starts and one goal for Mikel Arteta's men.
The chance of regular football would surely appeal to the young Englishman and a six-month stint at the London Stadium could be exactly what the striker needs to establish himself as a Premier League goalscorer.
Ademipo Odubeko - West Ham U18
'Mipo' Odubeko is clearly not a new signing to the club, but his promotion to the first team would give David Moyes the option of an out and out goalscorer. Odubeko has yet to make a senior appearance for the club but has thrived in the youth set-ups of both Manchester United and West Ham.
The youngster has trained with the first-team ahead of Monday's trip to Stockport County in the FA Cup third round and will hope to make his senior debut for the club. Odubeko may be a long term answer to West Ham's striker issue but even if the club does bring in another forward there must surely be room for the teenager in the matchday squad. A recent change to Premier League rules allows for nine substitutes to be named allowing Moyes greater options of the bench and the chance to give some young players first-team experience.
