Now, more than ever, the January window is crucial to West Ham United’s season. The need to add to the front line with this weekend’s events and the rumoured [‘want away’ attitude of Niclas Fullkrug](https://www.claretandhugh.info/fit-again-striker-wants-move-away-for-personal-reasons/) means somehow, West Ham United’s limited budget needs to be made to stretch to a goalscorer.
Lopetegui stay or Lopetegui go – (and you’ll know my thoughts on this from a multitude of previous articles), Steidten or Sullivan at the helm of future signings – the one pretty unifying factor today is that West Ham, sadly, must find a way to bring in another front man immediately.
So when reports emerge of hugely expensive strikers being ‘linked’ I’m not convinced: West Ham simply lack the desire, budget and PSR flexibility to get the cheque book out for a Jhon Duran level purchase. However when reports re-emerge of Brazilian Yuri Alberto being back on the Hammers radar (according to _tbrfootball.com: “__Newcastle or West Ham move leaves 30-goal striker torn as he admits Premier League ‘dream”_ today) then I’m much more excited.
West Ham tried to sign Alberto a year and a half ago for £14 million, confirmed by the Corinthians Chairman himself, who has vowed to do ‘all he can’ to keep the striker at the club. Money talks, however and I’m sure Alberto would be on the ‘plane if the figures were right.
Whether he’d come to London over Newcastle depends on what happens in the next couple of weeks – I’d question the sanity of any player choosing to come to London Stadium under the present coaching crisis but with a new appointment – absolutely!
Alberto is very open to a Premier League club having spent part of a season in the Russian league before the Ukraine crisis took him back across the Atlantic in search of football – so would be seen as less of an ‘acclimatisation’ risk in London. Under £20 million now could see him Hammers-bound and his wage demands weren’t a stumbling block past time around. I’ll be watching this one closely.