It is no secret that West Ham United are in the market to add another centre-forward to Graham Potter’s squad before the end of the January transfer window.
Sky Sports recently reported that the Hammers have had a bid of £57m rejected by Aston Villa for Colombia international Jhon Duran, with the Villans intent on keeping the number nine.
Villa reportedly value the 21-year-old forward at £70m after his return of seven goals in four Premier League starts this season for Unai Emery, which means that West Ham’s bid was some way short of their valuation.
The London outfit have now, reportedly, turned their attention away from Duran to an alternative centre-forward target to come in and bolster the squad.
West Ham willing to swoop for Serie A forward
According to Calcio Mercato, as relayed by Sport Witness, West Ham are ‘queuing’ up to sign AC Milan number nine Noah Okafor before the end of the January transfer window.
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The report claims that the Hammers are looking to take advantage of RB Leipzig deciding to pull out of a deal for the Swiss forward due to a calf injury issue by moving for the Serie A marksman.
It states that Leipzig were set to sign the former RB Salzburg man on loan with an option to make it a permanent deal in the summer for a fee of around £21m and West Ham are now ‘willing’ to sign Okafor for the same terms.
The Hammers are ready to sign the 24-year-old star from Milan but Premier League rivals Bournemouth are also interested in snapping him up, which means that it could be a fight between the two teams to land the striker on loan before the window slams shut.
Why West Ham should sign Noah Okafor
Potter should gamble on a swoop for Switzerland international because the potential is there for him to come in as an exciting partner for Jarrod Bowen in the final third.
Like the England international, Okafor can play out wide on either flank or through the middle as a centre-forward and this means that they could form a fluid partnership for the Hammers, interchanging positions in matches to cause constant problems for defenders.
The Milan striker, who analyst Ben Mattinson once praised for having “electric” pace, has only scored one goal in five starts in the Serie A this term, but did show promise last season.
Appearances (starts)
28 (6)
xG
3.81
Goals
6
Conversion rate
27%
Assists
2
As you can see in the table above, Okafor was ruthless in front of goal with the chances that came his way, scoring 27% of his shots on goal and overperforming against his xG.
That also came after the Swiss dynamo produced 16 goals in 22 starts for Salzburg in his final two seasons in the Austrian Bundesliga in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns combined, and these statistics all suggest that he has the potential to be a lethal finisher for the Hammers if he can get back to his best.
Bowen has created 18 ‘big chances’ and has been rewarded with ten assists in the Premier League since the start of last term, which suggests that his teammates have not made the most of his creativity in the final third.
Therefore, Okafor has the potential to be a dream signing for the England international, as he has the finishing quality to thrive on the service that the winger can provide.
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