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West Ham have joined Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Everton in the hunt for Burnley striker Chris Woods.
Chris Wood, 29, was one of the rare bright sparks in an otherwise disappointing Premier League campaign for Burnley, who narrowly managed to escape relegation. The New Zealand international has hit double figures in each of his four seasons in the Premier League at Turf Moor, including 12 strikes last term.
The 29-year-old finished as Burnley’s top scorer this past campaign that saw him surpass Ashley Barnes as the club’s all-time Premier League leading scorer. Having again proved his Premier League credentials, Wood is a wanted man ahead of the summer transfer window.
Burnley would fight tooth and nail to keep hold of Wood, who was last campaign’s Player of the Year. West Ham are the latest Premier League club to show an interest in the Burnley star, as manager David Moyes eyes reinforcements at the London Stadium after a successful campaign.
It was the Hammers’ best-ever finish regarding points earned in the top-flight. They made it into the Europa League next season, which is a massive achievement considering they flirted with relegation under David Moyes during the 2019/20 campaign.
Moyes is set to sign a new three-year deal at the London Stadium after helping West Ham book a ticket for Europe.
West Ham must bolster their squad ahead of a grueling 2021/22 campaign
Participation in the Europa League should stretch West Ham’s squad thinner than ever before, and with the squad that Moyes currently has at his disposal, the east Londoners need to make some quality additions in the transfer market.
One area the Hammers definitely need reinforcing is their options up front. Moyes has Michail Antonio as the only recognised centre-forward in his ranks after Sebastien Haller’s departure to Ajax in January.
Antonio did very well last season, acting as the focal point in the attack and linking superbly well with the likes of Said Benrahma, Jesse Lingard and Pablo Fornals. However, he is injury prone and cannot be relied upon to be fit for an entire campaign.
Is Chris Wood the right man for the Hammers?
Without any doubts, Antonio desperately needs more competition and cover next season onward. Having said that, someone like Chris Wood would simply be perfect.
Since joining from Leeds United in 2017, Wood has been a regular supplier of goals for Sean Dyche’s Burnley in the Premier League. He has netted 50 goals in 144 Burnley games, which is a decent record considering Dyche’s rigid and pragmatic style of football.
The Kiwi loves to go toe-to-toe with defenders and is a real handful in the air. Due to his physique and aerial ability, he’s an absolute nightmare to deal with for defenders, especially during corners and set-pieces. Wood is more than just a battering ram up front and would be fit perfectly in Moyes’ system at West Ham.
Though it may not be easy to acquire his services given Wood has a contract at Turf Moor until 2023 and is also on the radar of Aston Villa and Everton, Moyes must push hard to sign the 29-year-old striker to add more goals to his West Ham side next term.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
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