The number of strikers that West Ham have been linked with this summer, well it has to be a new record, even by our club’s previous standards! And yesterday there was a report in the Sports Mail making the list just that bit longer. It alleges that Italian Serie A club, Sassuolo have offered West Ham the services of their striker, Leonardo Pavoletti. It is unclear from the report whether that offer is in the form of a loan move or a permanent deal.
Pavoletti is obviously not one of the better known Serie A strikers. In fact, he spent nearly the whole of 2013-14 on loan to Varese in Serie B, where he scored 24 goals in 33 matches to help them escape relegation. Prior to that in 2012-13, again in Serie B, Pavoletti scored 11 goals in 35 matches to help Sassuolo gain promotion to Serie A. So, basically he is a Serie B striker, with no substantive goal scoring record in the top tier. Indeed, his Serie A track record amounts to turning out for Sassuolo in the first two fixtures of last season, before departing to Varese. As such, why would Sassuolo, or anyone else for that matter, conclude that Pavoletti would be suitable for the English Premier League and West Ham eager to take up the offer of his services?
It seems that West Ham’s ‘issues’ up front have become known ‘far and wide.’ And this has resulted in clubs, and agents, chancing their arm and offering all sorts of players. Some likely decent and others unexceptional. I do not know which category Pavoletti falls in to because I have never seen him play. I suppose he could be a star in-the-making, although one has to ask if that was the case why would Sassuolo not want to retain him? We have taken a calculated risk on Sakho making the grade, based upon his goal scoring record in the 2nd tier of French football and an assessment of his potential to develop in to a PL striker. I very much doubt that the club would want to take a bigger risk on another unproven striker like Pavoletti.
So, I think it will probably be a case of thanks, but no thanks Sassuolo! Unless, the terms of the proposed loan are so good that there is nothing to be lost by going for it. Time will tell, as always!
However, from Sam Allardyce’s last public statements, it appears that there will be no more attacking reinforcements and the priority for signings is now in defence. Which of course, is bound to make the club management happy, as that appears to very much be their comfort zone. So, speculation about Pavoletti or any other striker signing, for that matter, could very well be wide of the mark?
And the latest on defensive augmentation? Well, there are the ongoing rumours about negotiations with Man City’s Micah Richards on a loan move. While, the very latest speculation, courtsey of kumb, is that we may have an active interest in Athletico Madrid’s Belgian central defender, Toby Alderweireld, who starred in the summer World Cup Finals and is considered a fine prospect. It would be something of a coup for the Hammers to landed him in all honesty, but it will most likely cost the club c.£6m to do so. However, with Winston Reid’s long-term future at the club looking increasingly in doubt, perhaps that is the type of quality acquisition that we should target, rather than focus on a lesser, stop gap signing.
SJ. Chandos