Nikola Vlasic’s arrival at West Ham marks the 50th forward signed for the club under the reign of the current West Ham owners.
Since David Sullivan, David Gold and Karen Brady (GSB) took over at the club, the Hammers have endured years of the striker curse.
Players have come on loan, for small fees and for very large fees, but only a select few names can say that they succeeded in a claret and blue top upfront.
Read West Ham have taken a look at a few of the best and worst strikers West Ham have produced or bought over GSB’s time at the club (not including current players):
Best:
Carlton Cole
One of West Ham’s cult heroes was actually one of the club’s best strikers. Cole initially joined from Chelsea in 2006 when GSB were not the owners at West Ham. However, after leaving in 2013 the club re-signed him just months later, before his departure again in 2015.
The striker scored 63 goals for West Ham by the time he had left, marking him as one of the best goalscorer’s under the club’s current owners.
His passion and determination for the club was unmatched and, despite some bad performances, his good displays earned him eight appearances for the England national team.
Marko Arnautovic
Although Arnautovic’s situation at West Ham ended sourly, fans cannot fault how well he played for the club during his two-year spell. Arriving as a winger for a club-record £20million fee from Stoke City, the Austrian international quickly adapted to the striker position under Moyes.
In 65 games for West Ham the 32-year-old scored 22 goals and produced 12 assists, becoming a fan favourite amongst West Ham supporters.
His physical presence, finishing touch and no-nonsense attitude were the main reasons why he was loved so much, but inevitably Arnautovic left the club for the Chinese Super League and a bigger payday.
Demba Ba
One last West Ham striker to look at is none other than Demba Ba. Although his time at West Ham was cut short, in the 12 games he played for West Ham he became the club’s top scorer for that season.
Arriving in January 2011, Demba Ba scored seven goals in 12 games and caught the eye of many other clubs for his performances in a claret and blue shirt. Unfortunately, we got relegated that same season and Ba went on to score 29 league goals in 54 appearances for Newcastle.
The Senegal international was incredible to watch in front of goal and his time at West Ham boosted his reputation massively.
Special mentions
Diafra Sakho, Andy Carroll, Ricardo Vaz Te
Worst
Mido
After joining West Ham on a short-term loan deal in January 2010, Mido was no stranger to top-level competition. He had previously played at Ajax, Roma, Marseille and Spurs but contributed no goals for the Hammers during his time there.
The striker returned back to his parent club Middlesbrough but kicked off a long line of unsuccessful strikers under the GSB reign.
Simone Zaza
Simone Zaza was another player that boasted a good footballing CV before arriving at West Ham in 2016. The Italy international arrived from the Serie A with a good goalscoring record, but didn’t score once for the Hammers over the course of a full season.
Zaza has proven, at other clubs, that he can be a good footballer but his time at the London Stadium was definitely one to forget.
Benni McCarthy
One final striker that was seen as unsuccessful at West Ham is Benni McCarthy. After joining the club for £2.5million from Blackburn Rovers, fans expected to see a great striker grace Upton Park that season.
Instead, McCarthy recorded zero goals in over a year with the Hammers and was eventually released in April 2011, before we got relegated a month later under Avram Grant. Like Mido, he had kick-started the striker curse under GSB’s reign.
Special mentions
Jordan Hugill, Marco Borriello, Modibo Maiga, Marouane Chamakh
