Surely the last thing [West Ham](https://www.claretandhugh.info/niclas-fullkrugs-latest-calf-injury-update-west-ham-news/) need right now is another addition to their ‘walking liability’ of old, crocked strikers. As fans we have grown accustomed to the procession of injury prone front men; those at the end of their productive careers being bit-part players at London Stadium whilst getting paid back bucks to spend half a season on the treatment table.
In recent years we’ve had the saga of Michail Antonio’s hamstrings, his car crash, Niclas Fullkrug’s high mileage body, Danny Ings being – well, just Danny Ings – and most recently Callum Wilson who was released by Newcastle United as no longer upto the job of leading their line being welcomed with open arms..straight onto the subs bench at West Ham.
So reports yesterday linking West Ham with a January move for Arsenal and ex-Man City forward Gabriel Jésus did not fill me full of enthusiasm. He missed the whole of the second half of last season with a recurrence of a knee injury. Shades of Fullkrug?
_Loan deal for a striker could be West Ham’s “Get out of Jail free” card_
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Thirty million for another crocked frontman seemed just repeating the old mistakes again: And then the ‘L’ word popped out at me: Apparently according to [_caughtoffside.com_](https://www.caughtoffside.com/2025/10/31/west-ham-plot-surprise-move-gabriel-jesus/) the terms of a move could suit the Hammers perfectly.
_“He could be available for a fee of around €30 million. Alternatively, Arsenal could look to let him leave on loan with an obligation to make the move permanent._
_West Ham are prepared to sign him if certain conditions are met. It is no secret that they need a quality striker. Jesus has proven himself in the Premier League in the past, but he has been quite injury-prone since last season. He has missed 56 matches in total since the start of last season. It would be a huge gamble for West Ham to sign the player.”_
Agreed, a gamble. But a **loan with option** deal reduces the gamble taken by the Hammers for a 28 year old who is proven to score goals. And West Ham are short on both quality and budget just now. A couple of loan deals such as Jesus would give West Ham options for the second half of the season which they can only dream of just now. And the Brazilian is desperate to rebuild his career, being third choice at best now at Arsenal.
Those goals have got to come from somewhere. Roll the dice, take the gamble. After all, what’s the worst that could happen?