West Ham United need to add some firepower to its squad this summer. Last season, the club scored just 46 Premier League goals, with only five teams scoring fewer throughout the campaign.
Losing Mohammed Kudus is a further blow to Graham Potter’s plans, but there is still time for the club to make several new additions before the season starts.
At the time of writing, Niclas Fullkrug is the club’s only senior centre-forward in the club’s squad, which poses plenty of problems.
As such, the Irons are in the market for another striker or two. Could they look to sign someone with plenty of Premier League experience?
West Ham’s chase for a striker
According to BBC Sport, the London side are currently in talks with former Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson as they look to bolster their attacking options.
The Englishman is a free agent, having departed the Magpies at the end of the season. Aged 33, he might only have a few years left at the top, but there is no doubt Potter would be signing a player capable of scoring in the top flight.
Wilson is attracting interest from other Premier League sides, as well as having options in MLS, meaning West Ham must act swiftly to secure his signature.
His spell in the North East was hampered by injury, but when he was fit, Wilson certainly delivered. Could he turn out to be Potter’s very own Alexander Isak in the process?
Why West Ham must sign Callum Wilson
Last term, Wilson made just 18 league appearances due to several injuries, scoring no goals. The season before, however, the Englishman netted ten times across just 26 matches for the Magpies.
While not the most prolific strike rate, if he were fit more often, there is no doubt Wilson would have scored more goals. In all, he boasts 88 goals in 239 Premier League outings, notably ahead of even Jarrod Bowen’s return of 56 goals in 200 career top-flight appearances.
|
Callum Wilson’s Newcastle statistics |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2024/25 |
22 |
1 |
0 |
|
2023/24 |
26 |
10 |
1 |
|
2022/23 |
36 |
18 |
5 |
|
2021/22 |
18 |
8 |
0 |
|
2020/21 |
28 |
12 |
5 |
|
Via Transfermarkt |
|||
Indeed, that season, Isak was the fourth-most comparable player to Wilson in the top flight, as per FBref, Both players registered similar statistics across a range of metrics that season, including shots per 90 (3 vs 2.87), shot-creating actions (2 vs 2,87), goal-creating actions (0.36 vs 0.4) and goals per shot (0.21 vs 0.22) in the top flight.
Of course, Isak was the more clinical player in front of goal for Newcastle in 2023/24, but these statistics prove that Wilson matched the Swede in several key areas.
Should he get back to full fitness, Potter might get the best out of the 33-year-old next season.
Hailed by Eddie Howe as an “incredible footballer” during his spell at St James’ Park, Wilson left a solid legacy at the club.
The next chapter could well come with West Ham, and this move might just be a shrewd one for both player and club.
He won’t cost Potter anything, and if he hits the ground running, Wilson can certainly score 10–15 goals a season for the Irons, thus taking the burden off main man, Bowen.
Watch this space.
Related
West Ham now racing Man Utd to sign “exciting” 18 y/o sensation for Potter
He’s a rising star.
