In order to contend for a spot in the Premier League’s top six, West Ham United’s romance with strikers must be revived. It has soured.

Gianluca Scamacca and Sebastien Haller were brought in by the Hammers for large sums of money, but they were sold for a steep loss with no effort made to replace them. This has happened far too often in the striker department.

Rather than using Michael Antonio, David Moyes has depended on him, but Antonio has repeatedly demonstrated that he lacks the equipment in his locker to address their glaring lack of firepower.

The Jamaican has only managed two goals in his ten Premier League games this season, and more concerningly, he has never scored more than ten goals in a single Premier League campaign.

Moyes needs a deadly finisher, and Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez most definitely fits the bill, with the 33-year-old on the decline.

News about Santiago Gimenez’s transfer to West Ham

A number of teams, including West Ham, are keen to sign the highly-regarded Feyenoord frontman and bring him to the London stadium.

When the Hammers were looking for a replacement for Scamacca, they reportedly started preliminary talks with the Dutch club in the summer, according to the Daily Mirror. However, the Mexican standout decided to stay in Rotterdam until 2027.

According to the report, technical director Tim Steidten put out several names to the team, including Gimenez, before the Irons decided to pursue moves for Corinthians attacker Yuri Alberto and Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri.

There is a reason why many of Europe’s elite have now been made aware of Gimenez’s talents, even though West Ham were the first to cast their rod into the pond in an attempt to fish Gimenez out of Rotterdam.

The 22-year-old scored a brace on his Champions League debut against Lazio, and he has 15 goals in 11 games across all competitions this season.

After the striker’s amazing start to the season, Feyenoord reportedly put a whopping €100 million (£87 million) asking price on him to protect their valuable possession, making a deal even more difficult for the club to negotiate.

Santiago Gimenez’s approach to the game

Gimenez is a very talented finisher who is currently outscoring players like Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, and Ernst Haaland. Those three well-known players have scored 13, 12, and 14 goals this season on various fronts. Gimenez has taken the world by storm with his goal-scoring prowess.

According to FBref, he is putting up incredible numbers in the Eredivisie, including 1.36 goals scored without a penalty every 90, 4.3 shots, 8.48 touches in the attacking penalty box, and 3.28 actions that result in a shot.

His skill as a predatory striker is evident when comparing those metrics across leagues that are comparable to the Dutch top flight. He ranks in the top 1% of forwards for non-penalty goals, shots per 90, and touches in the attacking penalty area over the past year.

With 38 goals in 57 appearances for his current club, he has certainly proved to be a prolific scorer in east London. Journalist Antonio Mango has praised him for his “insane” shooting abilities.

Though he has outscored two of the planet’s most illustrious finishers, Kane and Haaland, this term, in terms of goal scoring, he possesses other weapons as well.

The 22-cap Mexican international is a physical presence who can provide Moyes with the first-rate link-up play to drop deeper, receive possession of the ball and send Jarrod Bowen on his way down the right flank.

Gimenez has demonstrated the aforementioned qualities by placing in the top 30% of progressive passes received, the top 10% of expected assists, and the top 7% of carries into the penalty area.

Hailed as a “machine” by football pro Jacek Kulig, the 5’11” phenomenon has the strength to carry the ball and the vision to develop into the all-around forward that West Ham needs, giving the attack additional depth and eventually bringing out the best in Bowen.

Gimenez can lead the line for many years to come and establish a vital partnership with the Englishman if Moyes can persuade the board to forgo the exorbitant fee.