West Ham United are certainly not short of options when it comes to choosing a new centre-forward to fire Graham Potter’s outfit back into the upper-echelons of the Premier League table.
Whether they choose the right one, though, that remains to be seen.
According to reports, West Ham like Strasbourg sensation Emanuel Emegha. They are one of the clubs looking at triggering the £30 million release clause in Liam Delap’s contract.
Jonathan David is leaving Lille when his contract expires in July, meanwhile, and long-time transfer target Yuri Alberto remains on the Hammers’ wishlist two years after Corinthians rejected a £15 million offer from the London Stadium.
A more left-field option worth keeping a close eye on, though, is that of Vladyslav Vanat. Little-known on English soil now, of course, but maybe not for long. West Ham joined Leeds, Fulham and co in watching Vanat lead the line for Dynamo Kyiv.
And if Vanat can emulate the success of the last Golden Boot-winning striker to swap the Ukrainian Premier League for a major European competition – Artem Dovbyk – well he could probably be considered worth every penny of his eventual transfer fee.
Photo by Paolo Pizzi ATPImages/Getty Images
Photo by Paolo Pizzi ATPImages/Getty Images
Artem Dovbyk confirms West Ham interest before Roma switch
While Vanat secures a second successive Golden Boot, the 2023 winner now finds himself at Roma via a prolific spell in La Liga.
Dovbyk left Dnipro for Girona and finished top of the Spanish scoring charts too. After making a £26 million switch to the Italian capital last summer, the targetman is a big reason why Claudio Ranieri’s Roma go into the final matchday of the Serie A season with Champions League qualification still in their grasp.
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West Ham reportedly made a bid for Artem Dovbyk before Roma got their man. And, speaking to Football School, a striker with three Golden Boot-winning campaigns on an impressive CV has, for the first time, confirmed the Hammers’ approach.
“It was my decision [to join Roma],” he says, translated by Tuttomercatoweb. “I would have played in the Champions League at Girona, but there were also sales of some important of players who had provided me with eleven assists. So I had doubts about staying.
“After a season like that, I needed to make a leap in quality. There were negotiations with Atletico, which then didn’t end well. I think someone at the club really didn’t want me.
“West Ham were also there and I also spoke to the coach. Also some clubs from Saudi Arabia were interested. But I wanted to continue in Europe even though the salary in Saudi Arabia would have been very high.
“So there were three options: Atletico, West Ham and Roma.”
Dovbyk hopes to stay in Serie A as West Ham eye new striker targets
Dovbyk, of course, would choose the latter.
Julen Lopetegui was presumably the West Ham ‘coach’ the Ukraine international spoke to. The 2023 Conference League champions would eventually turn to Niclas Fullkrug, although it’s fair to say the £27 million signing from Borussia Dortmund will not look back on his debut season in claret and blue with too much nostalgia.
Dovbyk, meanwhile, is unlikely to find himself up for grabs again any time soon. Unless, of course, the incoming replacement for an evergreen 73-year-old Ranieri takes a disliking to his methods.
“I don’t like to look too far ahead,” Dovbyk adds. “Now, a new coach will arrive. If he needs me, then I will stay. I have a five-year contract here and I’m happy. I like everything.
“[But] if the coach says he will need another striker, then I will have to look for a new team. Everything will depend on who arrives.”
The aforementioned Vladyslav Vanat won the Ukrainian league title this week, by the way. Former West Ham winger Andriy Yarmolenko scored the decisive spot-kick which ended the title race with a game to go.