“Ex-England Star STUNNED as West Ham Eyes £60M Goal Machine with JAW-DROPPING 95 Goals in 100 Games!”

Jonathan David has officially confirmed his departure from Lille on a free transfer this summer, following yet another stellar season in French football where he netted 25 goals.

However, West Ham United supporters aren’t exactly brimming with anticipation over the Canadian international potentially arriving at the London Stadium.

While David’s camp is reportedly intrigued by Graham Potter’s vision for the future, the general consensus is that the forward may have elevated himself beyond West Ham’s reach—especially after a breakout Champions League campaign that featured landmark victories over Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.

Just a year ago, West Ham walked away from negotiations to sign David due to excessive agent demands, according to The Sun.

Now, the former Ligue 1 winner may end up following the same path as Viktor Gyokeres—emerging as an elite striker while slipping away from the grasp of the East London club.

During the summer of 2023, West Ham had a golden opportunity to secure Gyokeres, who was then starring for Coventry City.

The Swedish international even appeared to show interest in a move to the Premier League side, but West Ham chose not to act. Sporting Lisbon swooped in with a £17 million offer and secured his services.

Fast forward two years, and Gyokeres has taken Portuguese football by storm. With 95 goals in 100 games, he is now being courted by top clubs across Europe, and a move valued at around £60 million seems imminent.

Former England forward Darren Bent now fully understands why Gyokeres was on West Ham’s radar back then.

While his current rise to stardom might seem sudden, his impressive form in the Championship showed clear signs of his potential.

West Ham’s hesitancy is becoming a recurring theme. If David goes on to score 30 goals a season for Napoli, AC Milan, or Chelsea, it will evoke the same sense of missed opportunity felt with Gyokeres.

“People might say, ‘Yeah, but it’s the Portuguese league—how strong is that after Darwin Nunez lit it up at Benfica?’

But Gyokeres has six goals in eight Champions League matches,” Bent noted on talkSPORT on May 15 at 5 p.m.

He added that Gyokeres took time to reach his current level. “I think his last couple of years at Coventry gave him belief. I’m not surprised West Ham looked at him back then.”

Gyokeres has even been tipped to outperform Darwin Nunez, who has struggled to match expectations at Liverpool despite his £64 million move from Benfica.

Nunez has only managed five goals this season under Arne Slot’s title-winning team. By contrast, Gyokeres’ scoring average of 1.05 goals per game at Sporting eclipses Nunez’s 1.7 at Benfica.

Bent, who previously played for clubs like Aston Villa, Tottenham, and Sunderland, believes that while Gyokeres’ output may dip slightly in a more competitive league, his current form—52 goals in 50 appearances—is difficult to ignore.

“I don’t care what league you’re in—52 goals is phenomenal. He’s scored more goals than he’s played games,” Bent emphasized.

“But it’s the Champions League form that really justifies a move to one of Europe’s top clubs.”

Should Jonathan David follow a similar trajectory, West Ham may once again find themselves reflecting on another striker that got away.