West Ham United are rumoured to be interested in signing Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic on loan in the January transfer window. The Serbian striker has endured a tough time since joining the Spanish club in the summer, scoring just once in 13 appearances this season.
As per Fichajes, the Hammers could bring the 21-year-old to London Stadium on a loan deal and reunite him with Eintracht Frankfurt teammate Sebastien Haller, who joined the London club in the summer. Jovic moved to Madrid on a €60 million deal in the summer after scoring 27 goals in the 2018-19 season for Eintracht Frankfurt but has failed to settle down yet in Madrid, currently firmly below Karim Benzema in the hierarchy.
He and current West Ham striker Haller had struck up a deadly partnership, scoring 47 goals and 19 assists between them in all competitions in the 2018-19 season something which West Ham will hope they renew if any deal materialises.
Jovic’s contract with Madrid expires in 2025 and it’s unlikely that he will move on a permanent deal so soon after joining Madrid.
Luka Jovic: Worth Exploring For Pellegrini?
Luka Jovic, at Frankfurt, was an impressive goalscorer, who was strong with both feet, technically gifted while also having the ability to create chances for his teammates with his vision, in and around the box.
The Serbian international is terrific in the area, and is a potent goalscorer, often putting away even half chances. His pace and dribbling ability allows him to be a serious threat in counter-attacking situations, all sides of him which are yet to be seen at his new club.
The Hammers should sign Jovic if they have the opportunity to do so, but there is a problem of how he will fit into this West Ham lineup.
If the Premier League side are looking to reform the Haller-Jovic partnership, they will have to move to a different system to accommodate two strikers. Neither Haller nor Jovic is good at playing on the wing or as an attacking midfielder, which could be a problem in adding Jovic to the starting XI.
His addition will also be a short-term experiment, at best, given the player and his parent club will surely look to give the association a longer chance to succeed before deciding on the future course of action.
West Ham may not be keen on sidelining Haller, who was only signed in the summer. It will be interesting to see how both of them can be used in the Hammers starting XI. One thing that is certain is that the London club need more goalscorers as their current top scorer is Haller with 5 goals from 16 appearances, which is not good enough.