Five potential Enner Valencia replacements
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I am not an Enner Valencia hater. He is nearly unstoppable on his day, and I will always like the Ecuadorian since he signed my kit last season. However, reading Joe Brown’s article on Read West Ham last week got me thinking: If Valencia were to leave, who should West Ham be in for?
Valencia does have the long shot and pace combination that wins Premier League games. But then, he also has a tendency to go wrong in just the right moment to leave me shaking my head, like a free kick launched into Row Z at St. Mary’s Stadium in Southampton. Valencia really leaves me with mixed feelings.
Should Valencia depart, here are five strikers the Hammers could have their eyes on as a possible Valencia replacement, including my take on if they are really a good deal.
Moussa Sow
Sow, a 30-year-old Senegalese forward, is not the ideal replacement for Valencia, but does have a similar game. With pace and the ability to play on the wing and as a central forward, Sow has an impressive goal tally in Ligue 1 with Lille and Rennes, scoring 43 goals, and in the Süper Lig with Fenerbahçe, scoring 52 goals.
Sow’s time for the Premier League may well be past him, as he snubbed West Ham in the summer for a move to Al Ahli in Dubai.
While interest has been there before, West Ham should invest in a younger forward with more focus as a central striker. Sow and Valencia share an ability to play on the wing, but neither have as much force when played as a lone striker.
Simone Zaza
Since Zaza’s £14 million move from Sassuolo to Juventus in the summer, the striker has only started three games in Serie A. Zaza actually put in a request to be transferred in January, but was convinced to stay at Juventus despite interest from West Ham.
Zaza had the winning goal for Juventus over Napoli on Saturday after his second half substitution, which could be a sign of the player settling in at Juventus.
By the end of the season, if Zaza is still unsure of his role at Juventus, West Ham could make a move for the 24-year-old.
Zaza has four goals in his 11 games for Juventus, and has yet to score more than 11 goals in Serie A, which he did for Sassuolo last season.
Zaza would be an intriguing transfer for the Hammers, but his past does not point to him being West Ham’s leading scorer if he were to come. I do not see West Ham spending £14 million or more for Zaza when other options could prove more reasonable or more prolific.
Zaza does have the right physique to be a lone striker. He won’t be bullied off of the ball as easily as Valencia is. Still, there are better options there for the Hammers.
Mario Balotelli
Mario Balotelli is at the center of yet another controversy. This time, it appears the 25-year-old will not feature again for AC Milan, where he is on loan from Liverpool, after a rift between AC Milan boss Sinisa Mihajlovic and Balotelli.
Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp does not have the Italian forward in his plans either, which means Slaven Bilic and West Ham could take a chance with Balotelli for a cut-price.
Balotelli has been less than prolific this season, scoring only once in his ten matches with Milan. However, the striker’s last 20-plus goal season was not too far in the past. With Milan in 2013-2014, in 44 appearances, Balotelli notched 23 goals.
Balotelli is always a gamble, but for the right price, I could see this as a remarkable deal for West Ham, and the revitalization of Balotelli’s young career.
Bilic is a no-nonsense manager who could either get the best out of Balotelli, or the worst. Bilic and Morgan Amalfitano had bad blood and it ended Amalfitano’s West Ham career. Even with the possibility of Bilic and Balotelli not mixing well, I see this as a very interesting and exciting move for Balotelli and West Ham.
Daniel Sturridge
Sturridge was linked with West Ham in January, only to have the rumour beaten down by Slaven Bilic, who claimed it was merely “paper talk”.
There could be something here, though.
Sturridge could follow his Liverpool predecessor Andy Carroll with a move to West Ham when the going gets tough in Liverpool. Sturridge has been subject to criticism after an injury-filled season.
According to Jordan Henderson, Sturridge is hurt by all the criticism directed his way. As Sky Sports reported, “There is a lot gets said about him outside of our group. I know it hurts him and I know it is hard for him to take. He is doing things to try and get back.”
Sturridge spent three seasons in London as a member of Chelsea, and a return to the capital could serve as a spark for his career. Sturridge did open the scoring for Liverpool in the 6-0 rout of Aston Villa over the weekend, his first game starting since October.
It is believed that Liverpool would be willing to sell Sturridge for £30 million, which has me shy away from the injury prone striker. Despite his eye for goal, Sturridge has to be on the pitch to score, and I would prefer to avoid another situation like Carroll, where he spends more time healing than scoring.
When fully fit, Sturridge has the ability to be a 20-goal-a-season striker. Yet for £30 million, the injury risk may outweigh the potential reward for the Hammers.
Michy Batshuayi
Batshuayi signed a new contract keeping the Belgian striker with Marseille until 2020, but that won’t stop West Ham from trying to convince him to rejoin former teammate and friend Dimitri Payet in the Olympic Stadium next season.
The Ligue 1 striker will cost between £25 and £30 million, but at 22-years old, the price tag seems worth it. Batshuayi already has 18 goals for Marseille this season.
Since André-Pierre Gignac left Marseille for Tigres in Mexico, Batshuayi has proven his ability to lead the attack for Marseille.
West Ham will have to battle with Tottenham for Batshuayi’s signature. Tottenham believe Champions League football will be the edge needed to sign the striker, but more weight should be given to West Ham’s offer.
The Hammers will be able to advertise the lead striker role to the Marseille man, instead of having to split time with Harry Kane at Spurs. Also, Batshuayi would be the face of an up-and-coming West Ham team, in the brand new Olympic Stadium.
Batshuayi may also understand the importance of Payet, having played with the French attacking midfielder for one season at Marseille. Payet assisted Batshuayi on two of the Belgian’s nine goals in 2014-2015.
Should Valencia leave or not, Batshuayi is a signing West Ham will look to make, trying to find their 20-goal striker.