West Ham United are still searching for their number nine answer, as in recent years, they have tried their best to address this position, spending big fees on highly rated forwards, which hasn't worked out in their favour.
Sebastian Haller was signed in the 2019/20 season, joining from Ajax for a fee of around £45m, which was a club-record fee at the time for the Hammers. The Ivory Coast international made 54 appearances for the club, scoring 14 goals, providing one assist, and totalling 3,681 minutes played.
Sebastian Haller for West Ham.
But Haller isn't the only striker the Hammers have signed for big money that hasn't worked out, as there was another signing who joined in the same window as stars such as Lucas Paqueta and Emerson. It's safe to say it did not work out as planned...
Gianluca Scamacca at West Ham
Gianluca Scamacca signed for West Ham in the 2022/23 season, joining from Sassuolo for a deal worth around £35.5m. In his time at the club, the Italian forward made 27 appearances, scoring eight times, and totaling 1,342 minutes.
The Italy international didn't spend long in London, as he returned to his homeland just one year later, moving to Atlanta for a fee of around £22.5m plus £4.3m add-ons.
During the 2023/24 season, Scamacca had the best season of his career upon returning to his home country, scoring 19 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions, also providing eight assists, linking play for his side, and totaling 2,319 minutes.
Scamacca is now similar to an £82m star
Unfortunately for the Italian forward, he suffered a cruciate ligament tear in August and has missed 183 days so far due to this injury, missing 34 games for Atalanta. Subsequently, he is not expected to return until around February 2025.
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Where are they now
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.
That being said, based on his performance during the 2023/24 season, Scamacca has been compared to some of the game's elite strikers, with FBref putting the 25-year-old down as a "similar player" to the likes of Darwin Núñez, Robert Lewandowski and even England star Harry Kane.
Scamacca (23/24) vs Kane (24/25) comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)
Goals
Assists
xG
xAG
Progressive Carries
Progressive Passes
Shots Total
Goals/Shot
Key Passes
Shot-Creating Actions
Aerial Duels Won
Stats taken from FBref
Since joining Bayern Munich in 2023, Kane has made 64 appearances for the German giants, bagging 64 goals and providing 21 assists. The England captain has been excellent since leaving the Premier League, and the fact Scamacca is compared to him is no coincidence.
harry-kane-arsenal
The Italian has been even more clinical than Kane with a lower shot volume, scoring 0.20 goals per shot taken, compared to the 0.18 ratio of Kane. The 25-year-old also has an extra aerial quality to offer, with brilliant back-to-goal play, manipulating the ball to get a shot away or link with his teammates.
As it happens, playing with his back to goal is an area where the Bayern star thrives, bringing others in to play and making the team tick more efficiently.
Gianluca Scamacca celebrates a goal for West Ham.
Kane does, of course, have other world-class qualities ahead of Scamacca, often dropping deep to pick up the ball and play the role of a playmaker, making 1.85 key passes per 90, and averaging 4.20 shot-creating actions per 90. With regard to key passes, however, the former Hammers flop isn't too far behind.
Despite being six years older than Scamacca, Kane is valued at £82m after his move to Munich, and considering the Italian has a similar level of clinical finishing (actually ranking better than Kane), he could also be worth much more in the future than the £29m Transfermarkt suggests he is worth.
So, would it be fair to say he'd do a job in the current Irons setup?
West Ham's current forward options
Michail Antonio has started the most games up front for West Ham so far this season, making 15 appearances, scoring one goal, providing one assist, and totalling 874 minutes played. Danny Ings has managed 10 appearances, many coming from the bench, also scoring once, and providing one assist, but only featuring for 232 minutes.
West Ham signed a new striker in the summer, with the hope of adding more goals in the number nine position, with Niclas Füllkrug signing from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of around £27m. However, things haven't turned out that way, with the German only making five appearances so far, scoring once.
Antonio vs Ings vs Fullkrug vs Bowen comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)
Goals
Assists
xG
xAG
Progressive Carries
Progressive Passes
Shots Total
Goals/Shot
Key Passes
Shot-Creating Actions
Aerial Duels Won
Stats taken from FBref
Antonio, Ings and Fullkrug all offer different qualities in the striker position, the former with his willingness to run the channels and help to progress play, Ings with his natural box instincts and sharpshooting (increasing shot volume), and the latter with his aerial presence and box dominance.
Their other option for a centre-forward is Jarrod Bowen, who is more typically deployed as a right-winger, cutting inside on his strong left foot. However, in recent years, the current captain has shown he can play as a lone striker, scoring plenty of goals from this position last campaign under David Moyes, having played 22 times through the middle, and only 21 times on the right last season.
niclas-fullkrug-west-ham-premier-league
As the Hammers continue to have striker issues, they will likely delve back into the transfer market, in order to bring a more youthful option to their frontline, but much of this could well have been avoided had a little time been afforded to Scamacca.
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