With 11 days remaining in the January transfer window, West Ham United are yet to welcome a single reinforcement. And whilst they’re far from in a position to panic, competing for a place in the Premier League’s top six, they could yet solve some of the remaining issues in David Moyes’ squad.
West Ham transfer news
Even amid a quiet window, the Hammers have been linked with a number of names, from Celtic’s Matt O’Riley to out-of-favour Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips in two deals that would undoubtedly hand Moyes a major boost for the remainder of the campaign. Moyes recently spoke about the potential of fresh faces this month, saying:
“We said right at the start that we wanted some outs before we had people coming in.
“Our budget isn’t huge in this window. There’s lots of reasons why there’s probably not a lot of signings going on. We probably need to sell to get some other players in. If that’s the case then we’re probably in a selling mood, rather than a loaning mood.”
Despite that budget concern, however, a fresh report has suggested that the London club are ready to spend big. According to reliable reporter Alan Nixon of The Sun, West Ham are ‘ready to smash their transfer record’ to sign Victor Boniface this month, with technical director Tim Steidten reportedly pushing for the move. The Hammers’ current transfer record stands at a reported €50m (£43m) for Sebastien Haller back in 2019, but it seems as though they are prepared to go above that to welcome Boniface.
The Bayer Leverkusen forward has been part of an unbeaten side under Xabi Alonso this season and could be a major coup if West Ham managed to secure a deal before the end of the month.
“Complete” Boniface could be West Ham’s best striker
Boniface’s stats instantly suggest that he’d immediately become West Ham’s best striker and would be a major upgrade on both Danny Ings and Michail Antonio. Though he wouldn’t come cheap, if Moyes’ side are to shock the rest of England’s first tier by challenging for a place in the top six, then proving that ambition by signing the Leverkusen man could be the key. Here’s how Boniface has compared to Ings and Antonio so far this season.
|
Player |
Goals |
Assists |
Expected Goals |
Key Passes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Victor Boniface |
10 |
7 |
12.1 |
20 |
|
Michail Antonio |
2 |
2 |
1.8 |
6 |
|
Danny Ings |
0 |
0 |
0.1 |
0 |
That said, it’s no surprise that Leverkusen manager Alonso has been so full of praise for his forward this season, saying via the club’s official website:
“Victor is not only a good striker, he is a complete player. And you can see on and off the pitch then he gets on very well with his teammates.”
West Ham will now hope to be the ones benefitting from that “complete” ability that Boniface has when leading the line. It would certainly be a statement deal if those at the London Stadium managed to pull it off in the next 11 days.