West Ham are quite obviously in the market for a new striker signing in the January 2025 transfer window after losing summer 2024 addition Niclas Fullkrug for three more months to injury after he went down almost immediately upon his return in the FA Cup vs. Aston Villa.
There are slim pickings on the winter market at striker, as teams understandably don’t want to part ways with proven goal-scorers or up-and-coming stars who are key to title races and battles for European places in the second half of the season.
According to a report from French outlet L’Equipe, West Ham are now zeroing in on Marseille striker Elye Wahi, and they are ready to make a deal with the Ligue 1 giants for a loan deal with an obligation to buy for a reasonable 25 million euros.
And L’Equipe add that Wahi is interested in joining West Ham, too, adding more fuel to the transfer rumors and making it seem like this is the most plausible deal the Hammers could make for a young, talented striker.
Wahi is just a rotational player for Marseille this season but has scored three goals this season and once scored 19 goals in a single season for Montpellier. Just 22 years old, Wahi has more talent than the other out-and-out No. 9’s on the West Ham squad
But while he is a talented footballer, signing Wahi would come at a cost to the fans in a different way. He has a serious allegation of violence against a woman at a nightclub that left her requiring emergency services for a punch to the nose. Before that, as a student, he had multiple incidences of sexual misconduct against classmates.
Perhaps Wahi has learned from his past mistakes, but there is no way of knowing that for certain. These are serious blemishes on his record, and while he is a great footballer, there are loads of great young footballers out there who don’t cost 25 million euros and don’t come with these kinds of character concerns.
At a time when West Ham are trying to rehabilitate their reputation as a club and build a new atmosphere under a new manager in Graham Potter, Wahi doesn’t seem to be worth the risk.
