West Ham are negotiating an “ice-cold” alternative to Awoniyi

Graham Potter brought his first victory and three points for West Ham United since taking over, beating Fulham 3-2 in their first game at the London Stadium. Goals from Carlos Soler, Tomas Soucek and Lucas Paqueta for the Hammers – and Alex Iwobi’s strike for the visitors – ensured an entertaining spectacle on Tuesday night.

Despite having less balls (Possession 44%.) and with only four shots in the game compared to Fulham’s 21 shots, West Ham still managed to score three goals and create two “big chances”. Fulham generated a higher xG (1.90 xG) from their 21 shots and three “big chances”, but failed to finish their chances, scoring only twice.

West Ham are currently ranked 12th Premier League after their win against the Cottagers, but further improvements could certainly be made in this January transfer window, to equip Potter with the tools needed for a strong second half of the campaign, starting with another striker option due to the current injuries in the squad.

West Ham are looking for a striker

According to reports BILDWest Ham have been in intensive talks with RB Leipzig over a potential move for striker Andre Silva. The Bundesliga side are reportedly keen to take the 29-year-old off their wages this winter, which could work perfectly for the Hammers who are looking for a centre-forward this January.

The move would likely appeal to both Silva and his camp, as his limited minutes this season have come from the bench, while West Ham could clearly offer the Portuguese forward a starting spot, leading in the absence of Michail Antonio and Niclas Fullkrug – with the latter man now be aside for ‘number of weeks‘.

Silva – who has he made 15 appearances for Leipzig this seasonscoring just one goal, three assists and a total of 305 minutes – would represent the arrival of another experienced Bundesliga scorer, in the mold of Fullkrug, but hopefully he could prove far more successful than the injured German.

Comparing Silva and Awoniyi

Another name that has been linked with a move to West Ham to relieve their striker injuries is Nottingham Forest striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, who is currently under contract with Forest until 2027.

The 27-year-old has made 18 appearances in the season so far, scoring one goal in 383 minutes played.

Both Awoniyi and Silva fit what Potter will want from this centre-forward, to be the focal point for other attacking talents such as Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen to play, something that has worked well in his first few games in charge (one with Fullkrug/Danny Ings and once with Tomas Soucek more advanced).

Silva – which especially scored 45 goals in only 71 games for Eintracht Frankfurt – is described as “ice cold” by Eintracht Frankfurt manager Adi Hutter back in 2021, saying his composure reminded him of Robert Lewandowski. In the 2023/24 season, Silva generated 0.41 xG per 90 (more than Fullkrug managed per 90 this season) and on par with Awoniyi’s 0.41 per 90 last season as well.

The main difference in the metric is aerial duels won per 90, with Fullkrug winning 4.88 aerial duels per 90. That said, this is from a much smaller sample (under 400 minutes) compared to the other two forwards. Silva and Awoniyi have shown their quality in the air, so this won’t be a major concern for West Ham scouts.

Whether West Ham opt for Awoniyi or Silva, or even elsewhere, they will surely improve with the addition of a centre-forward who can employ similar attributes to Fullkrug, be a point of reference for Potter’s side and bring others into the game as well as chip in with some of his own. goals.

Indeed, Fullkrug has shown flashes since arriving from Borussia Dortmund – with two league goals to his name from nine outings – with the hope that Silva could replicate such qualities upon his potential arrival from Germany, albeit over a consistent period.