West Ham fans have every right to be excited about their first ever season at their new home venue the Olympic Stadium. Slaven Bilic was an instant success in his maiden season in English football as a manager and the Hammers have Europa League qualification to show for it. West Ham have certainly done a great job in the transfer market so far this summer but their winding search for a new number nine is still going on.
The East London club had been linked with two AC Milan forwards Carlos Bacca and M’Baye Niang but failed to recruit either of them and now reports in Italy claim that Luiz Adriano is the third Rossoneri forward to interest Slaven Bilic.
Adriano was signed by Milan last summer from Ukrainian big boys Shakhtar Donetsk who have a reputation of signing and developing some exceptionally gifted Brazilian players and Adriano is certainly one of them if not the biggest. Big things were expected from the Brazilian in his debut season at San Siro but the outcome was sheer disappointment.
Scoring just four goals in Serie A and just six total across 29 appearances in all competitions, Adriano’s place in the Milan side next season under Vincenzo Montella looks in jeopardy now. It would be a big gamble from the Hammers if they believe that Adriano is the 15-goal striker they are looking for. They are in no place to take a gamble at all and should avoid the significant risk Adriano comes with.
Adriano boasts the record for being the all-time top goal scorer for Shakhtar Donetsk where he notched up 128 goals in eight seasons from 265 games while setting up 41 goals for his teammates as well. His figures at the Ukrainian club look quite impressive but he was a big failure in his first season in a traditional major league in Europe.
In the Ukrainian Premier League, Adriano was a standout player but staying there too long was not the best decision. He was a big fish in a small pond and that is why he failed to reach the heights at a bigger stage. The Brazilian is not the striker West Ham are looking for.
It would be a major setback for the fans who must have set their hopes high when the club was linked with the Lacazettes and Baccas and Gabbiadinis. West Ham should not settle for mediocre players now when they could be entering the most glorious phase of the club’s history and need to look for better players than the 4-time capped Brazil international.
