West Ham have really struggled when it comes to signing strikers in recent years.

Since David’s Gold & Sullivan took control of the club in January 2010, the Hammers have signed no fewer than 31 strikers, none of which have really become a reliable goalscorer.


MORE: We’ve rated all 31 strikers signed by the Hammers under the SuGo ownership – check it out.


The latest flop, Simone Zaza, left the club earlier this month halfway through a season-long loan from Juventus which was meant to become permanent for a fixed fee of £20m but the Italian was so bad it prompted West Ham to take drastic action.

What that’s done is freed up a bit of cash for the Hammers to go out and sign a big-name striker and hopefully the next one that’s brought in can actually find the back of the net on a somewhat regular basis. That’s all we ask for.

After missing out on Michy Batshuayi, Carlos Bacca and Alexandre Lacazette in the summer, throwing about €30-40m bids in the process, the Hammers should not give up on targeting big-money signings as that’s what’s necessary to reach the next level.

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Someone the Hammers should target is Porto’s rising star, Andre Silva. Slaven Bilic has had scouts watch a number of Porto games this season and as reported by Tuttosport, West Ham are among those keeping tabs on Silva this season, along with Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Manchester United, amongst others.

The 21-year-old striker rose through the ranks with the Portuguese side before being handed his first-team debut in December 2015 following a strong campaign with Porto’s B side.

Silva has established himself as a regular in the Porto side this term, however, finding the net on 15 occasions in 26 appearances so far this season with his exploits at club level earning him a maiden call-up to the Portuguese national side in September. He has four goals in five caps to date.

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The Mirror reported that Arsenal are willing to pay £20m to sign Silva this month, while it has also been claimed elsewhere that Real Madrid are preparing a €58m offer for the striker in the summer when their transfer embargo is lifted.

Porto have a history of selling talented players for huge fees, and it’s looking increasingly likely that Andre Silva is the next future star on the conveyor belt at the Estadio do Dragao, and West Ham need to be the first to make their move.

It’s clear that the owners do have money burning a hole in their pocket, go big or go home I say. Stump up serious money for Andre Silva and make a genuine attempt to propel West Ham from mid-table obscurity back into the European race.

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