Life under Julen Lopetegui is well and truly underway at West Ham United, with the Spanish tactician working on shaping his team ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
The Hammers enjoyed comparative success in the Premier League last season, finishing eighth after languishing to a 14th-place finish the year before (the same season, albeit, that saw the Conference League conquered), but pragmatic performances and a bleak end to the season saw the club part ways with David Moyes, and usher in a new era.
West Ham are less than one month away from their season opener against Aston Villa, and while technical director Tim Steidten is pulling no punches in strengthening the squad, the hunt for a top-class centre-forward rages on.
West Ham searching for new striker
As per reports relayed by Caught Offside, West Ham have received a major boost in their bid to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney, for the Bees are reluctantly willing to settle for less than £50m after top outfits were dissuaded by their lofty price tag.
Toney wants to leave Brentford this summer, but with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United withdrawing from consideration, the Hammers and London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are currently the only contenders.
What Ivan Toney would bring to West Ham
Banned from May 2023 to January 2024 due to FA betting breaches, Toney returned to action emphatically at the start of the year but petered out toward the end of the campaign, with injury-hit Brentford struggling to reach the fluency they had achieved over the previous two years in the Premier League.
2023/24
Premier League
17
4
2
2022/23
Premier League
33
20
4
2021/22
Premier League
33
12
5
2020/21
Championship
45
31
10
2019/20
League One
32
24
6
Still, four goals and two assists across 16 starts isn't the worst haul in the world after an extended spell of inactivity, especially when considering the stunning heights that were reached prior.
He's even been praised for having the "mindset of a lion" by his manager Thomas Frank, and could finally provide West Ham with the focal frontman needed to rise to the fore.
Signing the England international could even be a bigger coup than that of N'Golo Kante, whose name has sent Hammers circles into overdrive this week following revelations from The Guardian that the experienced French midfielder is in talks with West Ham regarding a £20m transfer.
Kante, a Premier League winner with Chelsea and Leicester City and a World Cup champion too, is now 33 but proved at Euro 2024 that he still has the levels to compete at the highest level – pundit Gary Neville called him "the best player on the pitch" during Les Bleus' 1-0 win over Austria – having left Chelsea for Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League one year ago, after an injury-hit year.
There's no question that Kante would be the highest-profile and highest-quality midfielder at the London Stadium since Declan Rice's time, and it could be the difference-maker in chasing down continental qualification and silverware once again, this time under Lopetegui's wing.
But, just as Kante would be a transcendental signing, so too could Toney revolutionise West Ham's attack. The 28-year-old is strong, imposing and technically impressive, with his presence and link-up play making him one of the most influential forwards in Europe.
West Ham have unearthed golden opportunities to sign two players who would make all the difference, and must now ensure that the deals cross the finish line.
Imagine him & Todibo: West Ham pushing to sign £15m "monster"
His club are hoping to cash in this summer.
ByAngus Sinclair Jul 18, 2024
