West Ham stun ex-chief after ‘amazing’ move to sign Jorgen Strand Larsen
Jorgen Strand Larsen is not the striker that West Ham require to lift them above the Premier League relegation zone.
That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who was left shocked by West Ham’s interest in Strand Larsen.
The Wolves striker has scored just one Premier League goal in 15 Premier League appearances this season, with the Old Gold below West Ham in the table with just two points.
West Ham will pursue a new striker in January, with Jarrod Bowen the club’s top scorer with five goals this campaign.
Jorgen Strand Larsen ‘not the answer’ for West Ham
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes West Ham are being poorly advised in their search for a striker.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks the Hammers need a striker full of confidence to hit the ground running.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “It has amazed me. I don’t know who’s advising West Ham or [David] Sullivan at the moment, but to say Strand Larsen is the answer after a whole series of striking mistakes that they’ve made. To me he is not the answer.
“We saw his very poor penalty against Brentford. And a striker, they always say give him the penalty to get his confidence back. Well, that did the opposite. To me, say we’ve gone through the [Sebastien] Haller’s, we’ve gone through the [Niclas] Fullkrug’s, the whole thing.
“Wow, you want somebody coming in who’s firing to help you in a relegation battle, not somebody trying to find confidence. It seems the opposite of the sort of choice you should make. So, you know, yes, tough one for West Ham that one.”
West Ham to raid Championship club
West Ham could also target Norwich City striker Josh Sargent in their bid to sign a goalscorer in January.
The London club have a £20million budget to spend on a striker in January, and Sargent has been a prolific scorer in the Championship.
The 25-year-old has spent the last four years at Norwich, and may fancy a new challenge to show he is Premier League quality.
The American has previously made 26 appearances in the top flight, scoring just two goals.