West Ham fizzled at the end of what seemed like a promising 2023/24 Premier League campaign, and they are now embarking on a new journey with Julen Lopetegui as David Moyes’ replacement at manager.
Lopetegui had a mildly successful tenure in LaLiga with Sevilla, playing a pragmatic style of football. He leaned heavily on individuals like Lucas Ocampos and Youssef En-Nesyri to carry the day in the attack.
West Ham have a few talented forwards, even acknowledging Lucas Paqueta’s recent betting charge, as Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen are two of the best attackers in the Premier League.
But West Ham could really use one more star player to help the Lopetegui era get off to the right start. Here are five potential attacking signings for the Hammers this summer.
Stuttgart ST Serhou Guirassy
So many notable clubs want to sign Serhou Guirassy, but West Ham might be the favorites to ink the Stuttgart star who has a 15 million pound release clause.
That makes Guirassy quite the bargain, considering he was one of Europe’s most prolific strikers in the 2023/24 season with 28 goals to help lead Stuttgart to an unlikely Champions League qualification.
Although the stats say Guirassy only had two assists to his 28 goals, the Guinean is much more well-rounded than the assists would indicate, as he averaged two fouls drawn and nearly two key passes per game.
Guirassy could be a top player in the Premier League, too, given his physical tools and clinical finishing. He could take the West Ham attack to the next level with his raw scoring ability.
Atalanta LW Ademola Lookman
The hat trick hero in the Europa League Final as Atalanta shockingly demolished a previously undefeated Bayer Leverkusen, Ademola Lookman was one of the best players in Serie A last season in his first campaign with La Dea.
A touted young player in the Premier League for Everton and then in the Bundesliga for RB Leipzig, Lookman didn’t take off until he started working with Gian Piero Gasperini in Bergamo.
Lookman has been consistently solid for Atalanta with a combined 22 goals and 12 assists, and he actually improved his key passes per game and dribbles completed per match this past season to 1.6 and 1.2, respectively.
West Ham’s biggest need in the attack is on the left wing. Lookman is someone who can start every game there and provide a goal-scoring touch with the creative capabilities necessary out wide.
Bayer Leverkusen ST Victor Boniface
An exciting attacking talent, Victor Boniface shined brightly in his first season in a top five league, scoring 14 goals with 8 assists despite playing fewer than 1,600 Bundesliga minutes due to injury.
Boniface was an important part of the undefeated Bundesliga champions, providing an element of excitement at striker that Bayer Leverkusen simply did not have with Patrik Schick.
The 23-year-old has a bright future in world football and is one of the best all-around strikers in Europe. A partnership between Boniface and Kudus would be the envy of just about every Premier League club.
Lille ST Jonathan David
Lille striker Jonathan David could have easily received a big transfer last summer after making major improvements to his game in the 2022/23 season.
The Canadian star has bagged 19 goals for Les Dogues this season and would be an incredible anchoring point for the West Ham attack as a goal-getting striker and real box presence.
Over the last couple of years, David has improved his all-around game considerably, becoming better at creating shooting opportunities for teammates with borderline world-class hold-up play.
Stuttgart LW Chris Fuhrich
Serhou Guirassy isn’t the only serious talent worth investing in from Stuttgart, as Chris Fuhrich is drawing interest from a number of clubs in the Premier League, including one as powerful as Chelsea.
Furhich is a silky-smooth left winger who could bring West Ham the kind of graceful, well-rounded profile they’d love to have on the left wing.
Last season, Fuhrich had 8 goals and 7 assists with 2.1 dribbles completed and 1.6 key passes per game as the best left winger in the Bundesliga.
Fuhrich may not be a world-class winger, but the 26-year-old isn’t far off. He is around the same age as Lookman and arguably more impressive statistically.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.