Free-spending West Ham have chance to boost striker stocks further
Published:Sam Allardyce has certainly taken his directive to be more attacking this season seriously, having employed Teddy Sheringham as the club’s new attacking coach and signing former Lazio forward Mauro Zarate.
His commitment to improving West Ham’s on-pitch aesthetics doesn’t end there though as a reported £15m deal for World Cup star Enner Valencia is on the brink of being completed.
Even that won’t complete the former Bolton man’s spending though, as another highly sought after striker is catching the eye of the Upton Park top brass.
Loic Remy has been linked with what seems like the entire top half of last season’s Premier League table since the end of the campaign, but revelations about his release clause give new suitors West Ham a chance of snapping him up.
The Frenchman, who scored 14 goals for Newcastle on loan from QPR last term, was thought to have a clause in his contract allowing him to leave Loftus Road if a top-flight team offered £8.5m for his services.
In reality, the clause operates on a sliding scale, with that magic figure only applying to Champions League sides. If a Europa League outfit wants Remy they’ll have to pay £11m, while the rest of the division must stump up £15m.
With the outlay on Ecuador hit man Valencia likely to equal £15m, it remains to be seen whether the Hammers are willing to flash the cash on another striker.
However, if they’re keen to part with such a sum for an untested Premier League frontman on the back of a few games at the World Cup, then plumping for an experienced top-flight scorer makes sense.
The 27-year-old has scored 20 Premier League goals in the 40 appearances he’s registered for both the Hoops and the Magpies and would help West Ham move away from relegation candidates, which currently sees them at 7/1 for the drop.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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