West Ham United should not have targeted unrealistic signings in the January transfer window.
What’s been said?
That’s according to a claim made by Alex Crook, with the journalist recently stating his belief on talkSPORT that, rather than pursuing deals for the likes of Leeds United duo Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips, as well as Benfica centre-forward Darwin Nunez, David Moyes and his West Ham transfer team should have been targeting more attainable additions – such as the now-Burnley striker Wout Weghorst.
Regarding the Hammers’ winter window, Crook said: “Wout Weghorst, £12m he cost Burnley from Wolfsburg and he was absolutely brilliant at Brighton. Surely that would have been an easier deal for West Ham? They were looking for alternatives to Antonio, there’s a player who they know wants to come to the Premier League.
“And before you ‘at’ me Burnley fans [on Twitter], I don’t disrespect Burnley, but if you have a choice between Burnley and West Ham, you would go to West Ham. I don’t understand why they didn’t try and get that deal done. They ended the window chasing unrealistic targets, like Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha at Leeds.
“They tried to get Darwin Nunez from Benfica – Brighton tried to sign him last summer and it proved impossible. They should have gone for Weghorst. He was a brilliant option and could have given them that lift like Jesse Lingard gave them last season.”
Weghorst will be haunting Moyes
Considering just how impressive Weghorst has been for Burnley since his £12m move to Turf Moor last month, in addition to the fact that ExWHUemployee revealed late last year that the 29-year-old was a “definite target” for the Hammers in the January window, exactly why Moyes did not make a move for the Netherlands international is rather questionable.
Indeed, over his four Premier League appearances so far for the Clarets, the £18m-rated hitman has already scored one goal, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.3 shots and making 1.3 key passes per game.
These returns have seen the £58k-per-week striker average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.28, while his remarkable performances have also seen the Dutchman earn extremely high praise, with Ian Wright claiming that the centre-forward is “exactly what Burnley need” in attack, while Get German Football News editor-in-chief Daniel Pinder previously stated of Weghorst in an exclusive interview with FFC:
“I think he’d be a perfect replacement for Harry Kane, should he leave [Tottenham Hotspur]. Whether it’s because he’s Dutch or not, he’s got similar attributes to Van Nistelrooy.
“He’s tall, strong, [and] even though he’s really tall, possesses a great touch – his movement is underappreciated in the Bundesliga. His threat inside the area, his work ethic in pressing the opposition defence. His stats alone are evidence of why he’s well regarded at European clubs and is a wanted man this summer.”
As such, with West Ham being fully aware of the 29-year-old’s talents prior to his move to Burnley, in addition to the club’s desperate need of backup and competition for the injury-prone Michail Antonio – who has now failed to score in his last six Premier League fixtures – Moyes’ decision not to pursue a deal for the player Frank De Boer dubbed “astonishing” this winter will undoubtedly be haunting the 58-year-old.
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