---
title: "West Ham could sign Christian Benteke as instant Haller replacement"
canonical: "https://readwestham.com/2021/01/08/west-ham-could-sign-christian-benteke-as-haller-replacement/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Alex Jones"
section: "Feature Writers"
published: "2021-01-08T12:00:00Z"
modified: "2021-01-08T12:00:00Z"
---

# West Ham could sign Christian Benteke as instant Haller replacement

With West Ham’s [club record signing](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49017405) Sebastien Haller having [officially left the London Stadium to join Ajax](https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2021/january/08-january/sebastien-haller-joins-ajax), one source has tipped the Irons to raid a fellow London club for a similar type of hitman.

Crystal Palace’s [6 foot 2](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/christian-benteke/profil/spieler/50201) striker [Christian Benteke](https://readcrystalpalace.com/2020/11/18/darren-bent-surprised-christian-benteke-loss-of-form/), who is [out of contract](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/christian-benteke/profil/spieler/50201) in the summer, has been cited by reliable club insider [Claret & Hugh](https://www.claretandhugh.info/hammers-put-out-feelers-for-haller-replacement/) as being on David Moyes’ shortlist of possible replacements for the Ivorian.

Valued at £8m by [Transfermarkt](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/christian-benteke/profil/spieler/50201), the 30-year-old Belgian has [scored 75 times](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/christian-benteke/profil/spieler/50201) in the Premier League between spells at Aston Villa and Liverpool as well as the Eagles, and he would come with a wealth of experience as an replacement for Haller.

However, Benteke has struggled for form throughout most of his Palace career. He has only scored [26 times in more than 120 appearances](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/christian-benteke/profil/spieler/50201) for the Eagles but has enjoyed a much-improved goal return as of late, with [three goals in his last six matches](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/christian-benteke/profil/spieler/50201), including a powerful header in his team’s [1-1 draw](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55241018) at the London Stadium last month.

### Read West Ham Verdict

Although he could be available quite cheaply, Benteke presents a lot of risk as a potential signing for West Ham. He retains little in the way of resale value given his age, and his poor goalscoring return in recent years should be a cause for concern.

Despite looking a little more confident in recent fixtures, Benteke would be more likely to be a distinct deputy to Michail Antonio if he comes to the Irons. It is hard to see how he would fit into any kind of long-term transfer strategy and West Ham would be better off focusing on other targets.