There is no doubt that West Ham are in the market for a decent striker, and the recent Europa League qualifier against FC Birkirkara illustrated why Slaven Bilic so desperately needs to strengthen his attacking options. The fact that we are competing in a European competition is one of the items on the increasing agenda as to why we need to sign another number nine.
UEFA’s tournaments can take their toll on any team’s squad, as demonstrated by the suspension that Diafra Sakho obtained following his dismissal against FC Lusitans in the previous round. He was thoroughly missed as the Hammers lacked a confident striker in front of goal against the Maltese outfit. It was Sakho’s brace in the last European encounter that gave West Ham the breathing space that they needed in order to comfortably come through the tie.
Modibo Maiga was given the nod by Bilic, as he started the Second Qualifying Round match up top on his own, in front of a capacity crowd. For the first half an hour, he missed a few half chances that sailed over the crossbar. Soon after, a magnificent save denied him his first goal in claret and blue since returning from a loan spell at Metz. However, a free header against the calibre of opposition that the Irons were facing has got to be buried into the back of the net. Some nifty footwork just before the break allowed the Malian man to strike the post, which summed up his lack of end product. The second half was rather distressing to watch, as the 27-year-old disappeared. At times, I was wondering whether or not we has still on the field of play.
Maiga has to be sold, but the problem is, who is going to want to buy him? He was substituted for youngster Elliot Lee, who hoped to add to his debut goal that he scored away in Andorra. There is definitely potential for the young Englishman, but he is far too young to be thrown into the deep end right away as West Ham need to look for an experienced centre forward over the next 50 days or so. It was James Tomkins that ended up scoring the winning goal, in the last minute of normal time to secure a 1-0 win, speaking volumes about where our offensive threat is coming from.
Bilic was not in denial with regards to the attacking problems. After the match, he said: ‘We are well organised and are working hard for each other, but in the last third of the pitch, well, you need some extra quality.’ At least the new man at the helm recognised that the issue needs to be solved.
The purchase of Andy Carroll arguably contributed to the departure of Sam Allardyce, as the big money fee did not pay off. Carroll’s injury prone status creates inconsistency on the training ground, but he certainly has some ability. There are very few Premier League players that are better than him in the air.
Mauro Zarate showed some promising signs, collecting the Man of the Match accolade on the night, but once again there was no end product. Although he was not actually playing in a striking role, you’d expect a natural forward to be finding the goal more often. Enner Valencia will not be involved before the middle of August, as he recovers from the Copa America. So, West Ham have got to do something to counteract the lack of goals they have scored thus far. 5 goals in three games against Andorran and Maltese sides is by no means spectacular; a forward needs to be signed, and quickly.
