Who Could Fill West Ham’s Striker Gap?

With both Niclas Fullkrug and Michail Antonio out for the foreseeable future, West Ham may be looking into the transfer market for a replacement this month. With both the possibility of a permanent signing or one on loan, there are a lot of available options for the Hammers. Graham Potter has come in during this window and will be looking to steady the ship of a side that find themselves in the bottom half of the table at the halfway point of the season. With Potter being a very different manager to Julen Lopetegui, West Ham fans might find themselves with a new attacker who is very different to the ones that they have had before.

Andre Silva - RB Leipzig

Andre Silva at one point in time was one of the most underrated strikers in Europe, however due to recent injuries and failed loan spells, he now finds himself down the pecking order at an RB Leipzig side that is not short of attacking options. With the likes of Lois Openda and Benjamin Sesko on their books, Leipzig have rarely played Andre Silva this season, with the Portuguese striker only managing 124 minutes of league football this season.

BREAKING: Portuguese striker Andre Silva is ‘about to leave’ RB Leipzig for Graham Potter’s West Ham and has been left out of their game tonight later today due to this.@BILD pic.twitter.com/TupYYfVrBx

— Central (@WestHam_Central) January 15, 2025

In the 2020/21 season, he managed 28 goals from 32 league appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt, which earned him his move to Leipzig, but he hasn’t managed more than 11 in a single campaign since. He went on loan to Real Sociedad last season but spent much of the season out injured and so didn’t earn a permanent move in the summer. This campaign he has been fit but unwanted by Marco Rose, the Leipzig boss. Even in his limited game time, he has managed a goal and two assists which is not bad for just two hours of football, but given his recent injury record, I reckon West Ham should probably stay away.

Jhon Duran - Aston Villa

Jhon Duran is one of the better strikers in the Premier League at the moment so it comes as no surprise that West Ham want him, but it is also not surprising that Aston Villa are not willing to let him go. The Colombian striker has scored seven times in the league this season and three in the Champions League, mostly from the bench. He and Ollie Watkins have spent most of this campaign battling for the number nine shirt, leading to both playing very well.

Unai Emery was asked if he hoped to keep Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins at Aston Villa long-term...

"I'm happy with both strikers, and it’s a privilege for me to train them. Every Aston Villa supporter should be proud of how we can have strikers like Watkins and Duran."#AVFC pic.twitter.com/gNuEJOrteK

— Jacob Tanswell (@J_Tanswell) January 14, 2025

Duran joined Villa two years ago from Chicago Fire and while his Premier League career started slowly, he now has 20 goals for the Villains in all competitions. In the summer there were rumours that he may be leaving the club, with West Ham and Chelsea interested, but he scored against West Ham in August and celebrated by reinstating his commitment to Villa. In October he signed a new deal with the club, so it doesn’t look like he will be going anywhere. This month, West Ham have already had a £40m bid rejected by Aston Villa, so West Ham might have to start looking elsewhere.

Elye Wahi - Marseilles

Elye Wahi hasn’t had the best time at Marseilles since he joined the club in the summer. He started a few games at the start of the season but has since moved to the bench where he has been forced to make an impact in the short time that he gets on the pitch. Despite being a number nine, Wahi has only scored three times all season even though he has played quite a lot for a substitute player.

West Ham are interested in Marseille forward Elye Wahi. No bid yet. Understand Marseille will only consider a sale and are seeking a similar package to the €25m+€5m figure they paid Lens in August.🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/yTaUElooGH

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) January 13, 2025

His most remarkable season came in 2022/23 for Montpellier when he scored 19 goals in Ligue 1, including four in a 5-4 defeat to Lyon. A deal with West Ham in this window would most likely involve a loan with either an option or an obligation to buy in the summer. This deal is looking unpopular with Premier League fans due to the controversy surrounding Wahi’s character, especially with his time in the FC Caen academy.