West Ham United have had an up and down start to the campaign under David Moyes and are now reportedly keen to wrap up a new contract for an academy gem.
West Ham's striker options struggle
West Ham are always in the hunt to improve their squad and January looks as if it will continue to be a busy period for the Hammers, who already welcomed the additions of James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus, Edson Alvarez, Andy Irving and Konstantinos Mavropanos in the summer transfer window.
One recurring rumour that never really seems to end at the London Stadium is the Hammers' hunt for a new striking addition, amid speculation that West Ham boss Moyes may look to upgrade on Michail Antonio if the right option arrives on the market. According to Football London, Chelsea's ongoing pursuit of Napoli poacher Victor Osimhen could make room for Armando Broja to leave the club and West Ham could reportedly reignite their interest in the Albania international.
Alongside Antonio, veteran striker Danny Ings and youngster Divin Mubama are Moyes' only recognised strikers at the London Stadium. Broja's profile and physicality could offer a handy alternative to the Scot if any deal were to materialise in the near future.
Antonio, Ings and Mubama have scored two goals between them this campaign, making the centre-forward position an area with potential room for improvement come the New Year (West Ham squad statistics – Transfermarkt).
Michail Antonio
Youssef En Nesyri
Hugo Ekitike
Danny Ings
Appearances
21(12)
17(14)
12(13)
7(10)
Goals
5
8
3
2
Assists
3
1
4
2
Aerials Won Per Game
1.5
1.9
1.4
0.9
Shots Per Game
1.2
1.9
1.4
0.9
Dribbles Per Game
0.8
0.1
0.6
0.3
Statistics according to Whoscored
Jarrod Bowen and the aforementioned Kudus have also improvised in a central striking role this term; however, bringing in a natural number nine would alleviate some of their goalscoring concerns, given that they have scored the joint second-fewest goals in the top half of the Premier League table across 2023/24, level with Chelsea and only bettering Manchester United.
Now, reports suggest that West Ham now have designs on wrapping up an important internal deal at the London Stadium sooner rather than later.
Divin Mubama contract update
As per The West Ham Way, popular Irons insider EXWHUEmployee has revealed that West Ham are keen to get a contract extension over the line for 19-year-old striker Mubama, who is set to be out of contract at the London Stadium in the summer of 2024.
Divin Mubama at West Ham – all competitions (Transfermarkt)
Appearances
9
Goals
1
Assists
1
EXWHUEmployee told the outlet: "West Ham started the talks with Mubuma and his team 12 months ago. The club absolutely want him to stay, but as we know, we do adopt a very strict wage structure policy. It must be said though that Declan Rice played many many games for the club on a youth wage, earning his right to then seek higher wages later in his career – something I think gets forgotten.
"Also, agents do not help the situation. The rules around football agents have changed so that the best way for them now to earn directly, is through their clients moving around. So sometimes its hard to know if they have the players best interest at heart.
"Now I have been told that the offer on the table is ‘amazing’, although this is from the clubs side. Now clearly the Mubama camp doesn’t feel that way, otherwise it would have been signed."
Ensuring talented youngsters commit their future to West Ham will be an important priority for everyone connected with the club; however, it looks like we will need to wait and see regarding Mubama's next career steps.