Julen Lopetegui appears eager to secure a top-tier centre forward to lead the line, as Michail Antonio is arguably not the player he once was.
Numerous players have been linked with a summer move to West Ham for this position, with Ivan Toney and Niclas Fullkrug standing out as prime options.
Speaking to Football Insider, Frank McAvennie urged West Ham to pursue Toney due to his Premier League experience: “He’s a big player, a big man who can bring other players in.
I don’t know what they’d want for him—around £30-£40 million—but you get what you pay for. I do like the boy.
“West Ham need somebody to score 20-odd goals every year, and I don’t know if Fullkrug can do that. He’s never played here.
If I were paying £30 million for him in Germany, who’s a good player don’t get me wrong, but can he do it in the Premier League? It’s a gamble, so you should spend that money on Ivan Toney because it’s not a gamble—he scores goals.
As a striker, I’m looking for the best for West Ham, and Toney would bring everyone into play. What a signing he would be.”
While Fullkrug is an excellent player, enjoying a stellar 2023/24 season with Dortmund where he scored 12 goals in the Bundesliga and reached the Champions League final, he is 31 years old and not a long-term option.
Toney, three years younger, has amassed 36 goals in 85 Premier League appearances and seems more likely to hit the ground running and be a key player for West Ham for several years.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank seems resigned to losing his most high-profile player this summer, noting it’s “quite obvious” Toney will move on, adding that he is “in his prime” currently.
There is no reason why Toney couldn’t excel in a Hammers shirt, scoring goals at a relentless rate, and dovetailing beautifully with the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen.
