West Ham United could make a move for PAOK Salonika striker Chuba Akpom, according to The Daily Mail.
The Hammers have reportedly been keeping an eye on the former Arsenal man since his move to Greece, where he helped his club win the league for the first time in 34 years.
West Ham have let Marko Arnautovic, Andy Carroll and Lucas Perez leave permanently this summer, as well as loaning out Jordan Hugill, meaning they are in the hunt for another option upfront despite the signing of Sebastien Haller.
Akpom played 33 games in all competitions for the Greek champions last season, scoring eight goals and assisting five times, as per Transfermarkt.
The 23-year-old also showed what he can do in front of goal in pre-season, as he notched four in a 5-1 win against Fortuna Sittard – the best of the bunch saw him receive the ball on the edge of the box, turn and touch it away from the onrushing defender before convincingly firing into the bottom corner.
His dribbling is cited as being very strong on WhoScored, while holding onto the ball and defensive contributions are also strengths, though aerial duels and offside awareness are weaknesses.
In comparison, Javier Hernandez played 28 games for West Ham last season, scoring eight goals and assisting three times.
His finishing and headed attempts are put down as his strengths on WhoScored, while offside awareness and aerial duels are weaknesses.
This suggests that while ‘Chicharito’ can contribute to goals with more regularity, it is Akpom who can have a greater impact on the wider game. With Haller already through the door at club-record expense, perhaps a more expansive option could help supplement him better.
This move may be seen as somewhat left-field by some considering he wasn’t able to forge much of a chance for himself in England before, but this could be a fairly cheap signing for West Ham, who have already spent big bucks on a striker this summer.
He’s reportedly valued at £5m and, at 23, does have time to grow after a strong season out in Greece.
Could Akpom supplement Haller? Join the discussion by commenting below…
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