The Sun has claimed that West Ham United are leading the chase to land Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson this summer. It is believed that the Hammers are working towards a potential £18m move for the Cherries marksman in this off-season. However, the East London outfit will face fierce competition from Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham and Newcastle United in pursuit of the English goal-getter (via The Sun).
Wilson’s Recent Form At The Vitality Stadium
Wilson failed to break into the double figure mark in terms of goal-scoring in the previous campaign which ended on a bitter note as Bournemouth were relegated to the EFL Championship. However, the four-time England international deserves some plaudits for registering nine goals and three assists in 39 matches under Eddie Howe’s stewardship last season.
The Coventry-born centre-forward lacked consistency as far as his overall influence in the final third was concerned. He ended the 2019-20 campaign with an average of 1.6 shots, 0.8 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. Wilson was also quite sloppy when distributing possession in the opposition half after completing only 64.5% of his attempted passes in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored).
The 28-year-old can be a streaky goal-getter, but when he is on his game, he can be a devastating threat, especially on the counter. The Hammers can benefit from recruiting a player of Wilson’s qualities as they cannot afford to rely on Michail Antonio’s pace to bail them out of tight situations next season.
What Will The English Centre-Forward Bring To The London Stadium?
Wilson is extremely quick and agile when running with the ball in the final third and has proven his value as an unforgiving finisher in the Premier League over the past few years. He carried most of Bournemouth’s goal-scoring workload along with Joshua King when the Cherries were playing some of their best football in the top tier of England 18 months ago.
Therefore, the English striker will bring a lot of pace and goals to East London and would arguably be an upgrade over Michail Antonio and Sébastien Haller in David Moyes’ squad. Wilson excels at making space for himself to get a shot in at goal which is a facet that the Hammers should look for when considering a move to sign a new attacker this summer.
The Cherries star has got what it takes to be a grand success at the London Stadium as he could help West Ham go on a good run and challenge for one of the domestic trophies in the coming seasons. Plus, he might potentially form a fruitful attacking partnership with Antonio if Moyes wants to play with two strikers up top. All in all, Wilson will be a decent and cost-effective option for Moyes to consider before the start of the new campaign.
