West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez in this ongoing January transfer window.
The Hammers are in the market for attacking reinforcements, with David Moyes prioritising signing a centre-forward. They have netted 33 goals in 20 Premier League games, but injuries to key players have led to Moyes wanting a striker now.
According to The Times, West Ham are tracking Santiago Gimenez, who is valued at £30m by Feyenoord.
Gimenez, 22, has been on fire this season, scoring 18 goals in 16 appearances in the Eredivisie. The striker also bagged two goals in four Champions League appearances, catching the eye of a host of European clubs as a result.
Feyenoord are eager to keep the Mexico international until the summer at least but the striker is open to moving this month provided he gets guaranteed first-team football, the report adds.
Santiago Gimenez to West Ham—Good option?
David Moyes seeks to bolster West Ham’s attacking options after seeing Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta sustain injuries recently. Bowen has led the attack extremely well this season and is the club’s top scorer with 11 goals in 19 Premier League games, while Paqueta has been the creator-in-chief with five assists.
The double-injury blow comes at a point where the Irons are also without another attacking option in Mohammed Kudus, who is at AFCON with Ghana, while veteran Michail Antonio has suffered a setback in his recovery from a knee injury sustained on international duty in November. This has left Moyes with Danny Ings as the only recognised senior striker in the squad, with young Divin Mubama still learning his trade.
Keeping that in mind, West Ham are monitoring the situation of Santiago Gimenez at Feyenoord. The Argentinean is among the most prolific strikers in the game right now, netting goals left, right and centre for Feyenoord. He has netted 43 in 67 appearances in total for the Eredivisie side and helped Feyenoord win the league title last season.
Given injuries to Antonio, Paqueta and Bowen, Moyes would be able to promise guaranteed first-team football to Gimenez at the London Stadium. If he arrives, Gimenez could make an immediate impact at West Ham and provide a focal point to their attack which Moyes’ side have lacked at times due to Antonio’s injury this season. At 22, the Argentina-born Mexico international still has a long way to go in his career and could improve different facets of his game under Moyes’ tutelage.
Rated at around £30m by Feyenoord, West Ham would bag a coup of sorts if they manage to land Gimenez ahead of top European clubs this transfer window.