West Ham’s struggle for goals has been painfully clear this season.
The departure of club-record scorer Michail Antonio in the summer left a void up front. Callum Wilson has begun to find form, but his age and injury history mean he isn’t a long-term solution.
Meanwhile, Niclas Füllkrug’s disappointing campaign has made his exit in January likely, leaving the Hammers 17th in the Premier League and desperate for firepower.
Now, a potential solution could be on the horizon — and it comes with a familiar name.
West Ham Given Watkins Boost
Ollie Watkins. (REUTERS/Hannah Mckay)
Ollie Watkins. (REUTERS/Hannah Mckay)
While West Ham failed to replace Antonio, Aston Villa swooped in to secure Ollie Watkins, who has previously been described as “terrific” by former Manchester United defender Phil Jones.
Ex-Hammers boss David Moyes has admitted missing out on Watkins remains one of his major regrets.
Ahead of the January window, former Premier League manager Alan Pardew has revealed that Watkins is considering a move to a club where he can be the main striker.
“I think Ollie wants to move, if I’m honest,” Pardew told talkSPORT.
“And I think he has a fairly good reason because when they got to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and he got left out for a player on loan in (Marcus) Rashford in both ties.
“(He is) the high profile guy, he’d earned the right with all the goals that had got them there and then he doesn’t play.
“I just think there’s a bridge burned there that is difficult to come back from. I do think that relationship is broken. I might be wrong, but looking at his body language and everything else about him, probably best for everybody for him to move on.”
Watkins has struggled for game time this season, scoring just once in 19 appearances for Aston Villa, with Donyell Malen often preferred up front.
With West Ham desperate for a proven striker, the England international could be the ideal addition to help the Hammers climb out of relegation danger.