West Ham United have been linked with a surprise swoop for free agent Emmanuel Adebayor, who was recently released by Turkish club Istanbul Basaksehir.
According to a report from The Sun, the Hammers are looking to replace former striker Andy Carroll, and have identified Togo International as a potential candidate.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side face competition from Watford and newly-promoted Sheffield United for his signature.
There is interest from abroad as well, with Scottish side Celtic and a handful of Serie A clubs are also interested in Adebayor.
Adebayor, who hasn’t featured for a full 90-minute game since January, scored 4 goals and managed 2 assists in 24 appearances across all competitions last season.
Does it make sense for West Ham United to go after Adebayor?
West Ham decided to sell two of their forwards, Lucas Perez and Marko Arnautovic, while Andy Carroll’s contract wasn’t extended after an injury-ravaged career at the London stadium.
Since then, the Hammers have gone ahead and signed Eintracht Frankfurt’s Sebastien Haller, and also have Javier Hernandez in the squad.
With Xande Silva returning to the squad after earning his promotion last summer, the Hammers seem like they have two good options and one back-up, with quality taking precedence over quantity.
Adebayor might be 35 and not the most disciplined of players, but he does is still good in certain aspects of the game.
The former Arsenal star, who stands in at 6ft 3in tall, is strong in aerial duels and can hold the ball well up top. He managed 1.1 aerial duels won per game across all competitions last season.
Adebayor is also an excellent passer of the ball recording a pass success of 86.9% last season.
Having the likes of Real Madrid, Monaco and numerous English top-flight clubs on his CV, the Togo International will bring some experience with him.
However, at this moment, the Hammers don’t really need a player like Adebayor for the bench. He is likely to demand high wages, and isn’t the kind of player you would want in your dressing room when he isn’t getting playing time.
It also raises the question, whether his signing is necessary, as Haller can do everything and more that Adebayor can, so the latter wouldn’t necessarily be a plan B either.
Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt, Whoscored