West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has today confirmed the club is in talks with striking duo Wilfried Bony and Simone Zaza.
Talking in his pre-match presser ahead of the Hammers crucial second leg clash at the London Stadium tomorrow against Astra Giurgiu, the Hammers boss stated the Irons are looking for a couple of new bodies to bolster the squad ahead of deadline day.
Bony, who has fallen out of favour at the Etihad following the arrival of Pep Guardiola has been linked with a loan move to London, but it is likely the move will only be short-term with a rumoured move to China on the cards in January. The former Swansea man has only appeared for the Citizens 36 times scoring six goals during his time in Manchester. The Ivorian is said to be keen on linking up with Bilic at West Ham with the view of rejuvenating his career in England.
Zaza meanwhile has been on the radar for a while having been linked with a move to the East End last summer. The Juventus man who became famous in the Euros for his horrific penalty for the Azzurri scored at the London stadium for the Old Lady during the Irons inaugural opening game at their new home. Italian Press suggests it will be an expensive loan move with the view to a permanent deal, but the Hammers face competition from Everton and Southampton for his signature.
Bilic stated that the club isn’t desperate with the club’s current stars set to return soon, with Andre Ayew and Andy Carroll the only long-term absentees.
He said, ‘we were linked with him (Zaza) last year and he is a top player. We were in contact with him last year and will see what happens.
‘He (Bony) is also an option because he is a plays in the position we are looking for. I leave negotiations to the Chairman and Tony Henry.
‘We will not sign someone because we have to act now. The longest injury is Andre [Ayew] and we expect him to be fit in December.’ He added.
Our very own ExWHUemployee will bring you an update on this later tonight on our radio show on Phoenix FM.
I assume West Ham would move out a current striker ,probably Valencia in the event that either of the two mentioned was signed. We could certainly do with some cover for Carroll whose fitness is always suspect. I do not expect getting either of them will be easy as Hammers will probably try for a loan deal first. Sky are mentioning a possible loan deal with Chelsea for Remy, but he is not a central striker I believe.
Bony would provide direct competition for Carroll although he has played very little at City. I am not a big fan of Zsa Zsa but his overall record in Italy is good, Both would demand a big salary if signed permanently I imagine
..Still, its good to see the owners being prepared to think again on pre window signings. However I fear this concentration on strikers will lead to the RB cover spot being kicked into the long grass once more.