West Ham had an extremely busy summer transfer window, spending around £120m on ten new signings, also making eight permanent sales, claiming back £37.5m.
One area the club identified was centre-forward, signing Niclas Füllkrug for a fee of around £27m from Borussia Dortmund, after being linked with Jhon Duran all summer.
This has backfired massively for the Hammers so far, with Duran netting six goals in ten appearances for Villa in all competitions, whilst Fullkrug has suffered from injuries, only making four appearances for the club so far, yet to score a goal.West Ham interested in LaLiga striker
According to reports from the print edition of Tthe Sunday People, West Ham are interested in Norway and Atlético Madrid striker, Alexander Sorloth.
The 28-year-old only just signed for the Spanish outfit this summer for a fee of around £26.5m, following his impressive 2023/24 campaign for Villarreal, making 41 appearances, scoring 26 goals and providing six assists.So far this season, the Norway international has played 11 times, only scoring just once but providing two assists in his 502 minutes played, finding his minutes rotated with other striking options, such as Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann.Sorloth has played in the Premier League before, making 20 appearances for Crystal Palace, only scoring one goal and providing one assist, so if he was to come back, joining West Ham, it is likely the 28-year-old would want to prove people wrong in and show what he can do in the top-flight.
Sorloth vs Fullkrug comparison
To compare Fullkrug to Sorloth, we are best off looking at the 2023/24 season of the German striker when he was able to string some games together and gather some good metrics.In the 23/24 campaign, Fullkrug made 46 appearances for Dortmund, scoring 16 goals and providing ten assists in 3,605 minutes played.
It is also worth comparing Sorloth to Duran, who was nearly signed by the Hammers this summer. The 20-year-old already has 14 goals in 59 appearances for Aston Villa, scoring those in just 1,553 minutes.
Duran’s metrics are slightly skewed due to his minutes being off the bench, and the metrics being measured per 90 mins, but he clearly brings the most goal threat, generating the most xG, having an extremely high shot volume, and scoring the most goals per 90.Sorloth and Fullkrug are different types of striker, who aren’t centered around their pace or running in behind, but instead, their intelligence, box movement, aerial prowess, and link-up play. Sorloth wins more aerial duels, takes more penalty area touches, provides more shot volume, and more assists/creation for others.Fullkrug could prove many wrong at West Ham when he can get a sustained amount of minutes on the pitch to show his value. However, the longer he remains on the sidelines, and the more Duran continues to smash it, Hammers fans will want the striker situation addressed at some point. Sorloth could just be the remedy.
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