West Ham's transfer deadline day steal offers a shot at success - not a sure thing

Evan Ferguson completed a indebtedness determination from Brighton connected transportation deadline time to reunite with caller West Ham brag Graham Potter and to rejuvenate a vocation that has stalled owed to wounded - portion offering the Hammers thing they request too

After years of attacking failures - often from players who seemed similar large fits connected a aboveground level - it’s a alteration of gait to spot West Ham determination for a striker who comes without the value of expectation.

Evan Ferguson completed a indebtedness determination from Brighton connected transportation deadline time and it feels similar a existent accent of however acold the Irishman has fallen. There was a clip erstwhile the striker looked similar becoming a £100million player, with Champions League clubs sniffing around, but his determination to London comes chiefly due to the fact that helium tin hardly get a look successful astatine his genitor club.

"Evan has had a frustrating 12 months with injuries and for him to get backmost to the level he’s susceptible of and to proceed his development, helium truly needs to beryllium playing regularly," Brighton brag Fabian Hurzeler said aft the indebtedness - with nary imperishable enactment - went through.

It allows Ferguson to reunite with Graham Potter, the manager who gave him his elder debut with Brighton, but occurrence successful East London feels similar it would beryllium an added bonus alternatively than a definite thing.

While Brighton wouldn’t beryllium unfastened to a woody if each had gone to plan, the aforesaid is existent of West Ham. Michail Antonio’s fearfulness car clang means there’s nary acceptable date connected the Jamaican’s return, portion Niclas Fullkrug - the Hammers’ marquee summertime attacking signing - has been constricted to little than 400 Premier League minutes during an injury-hit season.

The Hammers tin beryllium forgiven for reasoning they’ve been cursed successful the attacking department. Their champion options successful caller years person been converted wingers, beryllium that Antonio, Marko Arnautovic oregon existent skipper Jarrod Bowen, with much orthodox strikers coming and going successful speedy succession.

It’s not adjacent arsenic if their careers person crushed to a halt conscionable by moving to E20, with Sebastien Haller rediscovered his scoring interaction aft leaving for Ajax and Gianluca Scamacca helping Atalanta triumph past season’s Europa League. When you look astatine things that way, you mightiness commencement to wonderment whether it’s West Ham who are the problem.

There person besides been the ones who got away.

Jhon Duran has joined Al-Nassr for £77.5m aft coming adjacent to joining West Ham successful August, portion erstwhile Hammers people Santi Gimenez is present an AC Milan subordinate aft moving from Feyenoord for astir £30m. It remains to beryllium seen however those 2 bash astatine their caller clubs, but 1 would ideate it would beryllium amended than Potter’s existent options. Only 4 teams person scored less Premier League goals this play than West Ham’s 28, and nary subordinate of their squad has much than 5 successful the apical flight.

All of which is to accidental it’s casual to spot wherefore the shot-to-nothing of a Ferguson indebtedness appeals. However, immoderate whitethorn interest a palmy fewer months could pb to a repetition of their Demba Ba nightmare backmost successful 2011.

Back then, the Senegal striker was West Ham’s apical scorer arsenic they failed to debar relegation, but their hopes of keeping him beyond the extremity of the play were dashed and helium went connected to thrive successful a Newcastle broadside that finished fifth.

Even if West Ham get things right, pessimistic fans volition beryllium acrophobic the adjacent slip-up is conscionable astir the corner.

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