West Ham United will release striker Andy Carroll at the end of June, and are in the hunt for a new striker for the 2019-20 season.
The Hammers have now been linked with a move for former Manchester City, Arsenal and Real Madrid striker, Emmanuel Adebayor, as per The Sun.
The London club aren’t the only Premier League side interested in signing the 35-year-old striker as Watford and Premier League new boys Sheffield United, are also keen on securing the signature of the forward, as are Scottish champions Celtic.
Adebayor last played for İstanbul Başakşehir in the Turkish Süper Lig but ended his contract at the club by mutual agreement. The Togo international played three seasons for the Turkish club, scoring 27 goals in 71 appearances.
The 2018-19 season saw him being used as a bit-part player at the club where he was mostly brought off the bench to make an impact to the side. He scored 4 goals and made 2 assists in the 24 appearances he made for the club in the season.
Adebayor’s last Premier League club was Crystal Palace where he joined January 2016, playing till the end of the season with the club and scoring just once in 15 games. He has plenty of Premier League experience, having played previously for Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham in the Premier League apart from Palace.
Does a move for Emmanuel Adebayor make sense?
This transfer speculation regarding Adebayor’s move to a Premier League club has come out of the blue.
The Togo international is well past his best, and couldn’t even make an impact in the Turkish league – which isn’t anywhere close to the Premier League in terms of quality. That should ring alarm bells for these Premier League clubs linked with him.
Another important reservation that these clubs should have before signing him is the negative impact that he will have in the dressing room.
Controversy has followed Adebayor wherever he has played, which is not something that the Hammers will want to deal with during a hard-fought Premier League season.
Adebayor will also command big wages, which could rather be used in signing younger talents. Though he has scored 97 goals in the Premier League, he isn’t the same player he once was, and considering West Ham’s ambitious plans for next season, a move for Adebayor just doesn’t make sense.
Simply put, the former Manchester City and Arsenal striker is too old, too expensive, and has been in poor form, and hence the Hammers should avoid making a move for him.