west Ham United should strike now as Crystal Palace leave Kelechi Iheanacho race

Crystal Palace have left the race for Kelechi Iheanacho this summer, according to the Evening Standard, giving West Ham a perfect chance to solve their striker problem.

The newspaper reported on its website on Thursday (31 August) that Roy Hodgson’s side were looking to extend Jean Phillippe Mateta’s contract at Selhurst Park, rather than make a move for the Leicester City forward.

The Eagles were one of three Premier League sides, including the Hammers and Wolves, interested in signing the Nigerian striker, whom Leicester value at £20m [Ben Jacobs, 31 August] in the hope that he will remain at the King Power beyond the 1 September deadline.

David Moyes is keen to add to his striking options at the London Stadium and having had a deal for Brazilian forward Yuri Alberto collapse [Evening Standard, 31 August], Iheanacho represents a guarantee of goals in the Premier League that the Irons can’t pass up.

Iheanacho hasn’t found the net yet in the Championship this season, but has a proven eye for goal in the top-flight scoring 42 goals in 196 appearances across spells with the Foxes and Manchester City and while not always the most prolific, he always carries a threat.

Outside of his goal threat, the 26-year-old is one of the most creative strikers in Europe’s top five leagues, with his Fbref scouting report placing him in the 98th percentile for both assists and expected assists per 90 minutes of all forwards in Europe’s top five leagues.

There is also a suggestion that Iheanacho could begin to score more goals, as in the last year he has underperformed his xG, a characteristic not exactly sought after, but one that suggests he is capable of increasing his goal tally.

With the creativity potentially around him at the London Stadium, with the likes of Jarred Bowen and Lucas Paqueta, Iheanacho will likely be on the receiving end of a lot more chances than he was in a struggling Leicester team, while also being able to bring other into the game.

Help the team

The advantage the Hammers have after their summer business is the fact they appear to have a few more goals in their team, rather than being as reliant on a consistent number nine that has been so hard to find to provide the finishing touch.

Iheanacho’s creativity and impressive work rate will allow him to bring those playing around him into the game and if he can maintain the final ball ability he managed at the King Power Stadium, he could prove to help the other attackers around him flourish.

If the finances are there, which they likely are given the outgoing business carried out throughout this transfer window, Iheanahco would be an excellent signing, in addition to a proven goal scorer at the top end of the pitch.

Whether or not the Hammers convert their interest into a genuine approach before the window closes on 1 September remains to be seen, but they could do a lot worse than signing the Leicester forward.

In other West Ham news, David Moyes has spoken out ahead of the final days of the transfer window