In a recent print edition, Record stated that West Ham United have joined the race for Coventry City forward Viktor Gyokeres. It has been claimed that the Hammers have ‘taken steps’ to sign the Swedish striker in this off-season.
Gyokeres’ Decent Run Of Form At Coventry Last Season
The Swedish sensation enjoyed a brilliant campaign with the Sky Blues which ended in disappointment after Coventry narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League. Gyokeres netted 22 goals and earned 12 assists in 50 appearances for the West Midlands club last season in various competitions.
The 25-year-old led the line with conviction in the final third and deserves a ton of credit for averaging 2.9 shots, 1.9 key passes and 2.1 dribbles per 90 minutes in the English Championship. However, he has to find a way to improve his ball distribution as he has only completed 68.6% of his attempted passes in the second tier of English football (stats via whoscored).
Gyokeres is under contract at Coventry City until the summer of 2024. Hence, the Hammers have a good chance of recruiting him on the cheap during this summer transfer window.
West Ham United Join The Race For Gyokeres: Is He Worth The Fight?
Gyokeres can engineer space for himself to get some strikes in at goal. He has got the vision to orchestrate some meaningful openings for his teammates in the final third and is usually quite clever with his movements in and around the opponent’s penalty box. Standing at 1.87m, Gyokeres can hold possession up for his teammates but needs to find a way to improve his link-up play up top.
We can expect the Swedish striker to inject some much-needed firepower into West Ham boss David Moyes’ attack. He would offer some serious competition for Michail Antonio at the London Stadium in the coming seasons.
At 25, Gyokeres is about to enter his prime and is well-equipped to make an instant impact at the East London club if he can find a way to make a smooth transition to life in the Premier League. Furthermore, he could help West Ham cope with fixture congestion better next season as they look to bring even more success back to the London Stadium.
