West Ham United are exploring a deal to sign a new striker in January, and a fresh report has revealed that he’s already playing in the Premier League.
David Moyes’ current options
The Irons have Michail Antonio, Danny Ings and Divin Mubama as their natural options at centre-forward as it stands, but it’s understandable to see why the hierarchy would want to enter the market to bolster their numbers in that department.
Antonio has been struggling to stay fit due to injury this season, and with the latter only being 19 years of age, David Moyes will know that he needs to recruit another senior poacher to add to his ranks to provide competition for places alongside cover.
The London Stadium boss has highlighted Crystal Palace’s Odsonne Edouard as a potential candidate, with the 25-year-old having made a total of 81 appearances since first arriving at Selhurst Park from Celtic back in 2021 (Transfermarkt – Edouard statistics).
The Frenchman has firmly established himself as Roy Hodgson’s best-performing offensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Crystal Palace statistics), and his impressive form has done enough to catch the eye of the Hammers board.
West Ham plotting swoop for Odsonne Edouard
According to Football Transfers, West Ham are interested in Edouard and are considering making an approach for him during the upcoming transfer window in the new year.
“West Ham are exploring the possibility of a January transfer move for Crystal Palace forward Odsonne Edouard while Pablo Fornals could leave David Moyes’ side, FootballTransfers can exclusively reveal. Edouard is one possibility that is being seriously explored, with Crystal Palace open to a departure for the former Celtic forward.
“FootballTransfers has been told that the deal could either be a loan or permanent, although there is no indication yet how much West Ham are prepared to spend on the forward.”
Edouard could be a “goal machine” for Moyes
In the Premier League this season, Edouard has already scored five goals from his opening 12 appearances which shows how prolific he can be in the final third, and he’s constantly posing a threat to the opposition even if the end product isn’t always there.
Standing at 6 foot 1, Hodgson’s £90k-per-week earner (Crystal Palace salaries), has recorded 33 shots over the course of the current campaign which is more than any of his fellow teammates (FBRef – Crystal Palace statistics), highlighting what a standout performer he is in comparison to his peers.
Edouard’s Style Of Play |
|---|
Indirect set-piece threat |
Likes to play short passes |
Likes to do layoffs |
Commits fouls often (Data via WhoScored) |
The Kourou native is also a versatile operator having been deployed in five various positions over the pitch since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and as an attacking midfielder, so he would be able to easily adapt to the demands of the manager.
According to talent scout Jacek Kulig, Edouard is a “goal machine”, and considering that he even shares the same representative, CAA Stellar, as James Ward-Prowse (West Ham agents), this existing connection that his management already have to the club could give them a small advantage should they try to get a deal over the line in January.
