West Ham find themselves in the bottom half of the Premier League in 12th place, much like their goal-scoring exploits this season, sitting joint sixth for fewest goals scored.
The Hammers have only scored 27 times in 22 games this campaign, with a striker still being a massive hole in their squad, relying more on their wide forwards for goals.
Graham Potter could be equipped with a new striker either this month or in the summer, with Michail Antonio and Niclas Füllkrug suffering from injuries this season.
West Ham enquire about Jhon Duran alternative
Clubs now know that West Ham have the available funds should they choose to splash out on a striker signing, after having their £57m bid for Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran turned down in recent days.
So, who could they turn their attention to next in the pursuit of more firepower?
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Well, according to reports from Irons insider ExWHUEmployee, West Ham are among the clubs to have enquired about Strasbourg striker, Emmanuel Emegha this month, but it appears a big fee would be needed in order to prise the 21-year-old striker away before the summer.
Therefore, a move for the Dutch striker, who only moved from Sturm Graz to Strasbourg in 2023, would likely cost a large fee.
Emegha has made 15 appearances for the French outfit so far this season, scoring seven goals and providing two assists in 1,158 minutes played.
How Emegha compares to Fullkrug and Duran
To understand why Emegha would help the side, you have to analyse what West Ham are missing in Fullkrug, whilst also analysing what they are after in Duran.
The Aston Villa striker has made 28 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring 12 goals in 1,019 minutes played.
Fullkrug, in contrast, has only managed 11 appearances since joining in the summer, scoring two goals and providing one assist in 457 minutes.
The German has already suffered from two injuries since joining the club, keeping him out for long periods of time and currently leaving Potter with just Danny Ings as a natural striker option.
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Emegha vs Duran vs Fullkrug comparison |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Emegha |
Duran |
Fullkrug |
|
Goals |
0.6 |
1.1 |
0.5 |
|
Assists |
0.2 |
0.00 |
0.3 |
|
Shots |
2.00 |
3.8 |
1.5 |
|
Shots on Target |
1.7 |
2.3 |
0.8 |
|
Conversion Rate % |
30.43% |
28.0% |
33.33% |
|
Chances Created |
0.8 |
0.6 |
1.5 |
|
Aerial Duels Contested |
2.7 |
5.9 |
10.8 |
|
Aerial Duels Won |
1.3 |
2.9 |
4.9 |
|
Aerial Duel Success % |
48.39% |
48.72% |
45.45% |
|
Stats taken from Squawka |
|||
When you compare Fullkrug to Duran, you can see West Ham are looking for a striker who can win their aerial duels, get a high volume of shots away per game and provide output for the team, especially in the goal-scoring department.
Emegha has played the most minutes in this comparison matrix (1,054 minutes of Ligue 1 football) and still ranks closely with many of the per 90 metrics of Fullkrug and Duran, who have both played less than 1,000 minutes combined (Duran with 602 in the league, and Fullkrug with 368 in the top-flight).
This shows Emegha could be a brilliant coup for the Hammers, bringing a 6 foot 5 striker into the team, who can win aerial duels, be a target man for Potter’s side, create chances for himself and others, and most importantly, put the ball in the back of the net.
Related
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West Ham United failed in a bid to sign Jhon Duran from Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
