Why West Ham Are Better Off Without Signing This £190,000-a-week Former Watford Striker

Why It Might Not Be The Best Decision By West Ham To Sign Odion Ighalo

West Ham United are reportedly considering a move for Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo, who is currently playing for Chinese club Changchun Yanai. The former Watford striker left the club only in January to move to China but now with the Hammers’ interest in him, the player could be tempted to make a move back. But is it necessary?

First up, there is the matter of payment. Ighalo is earning £190,000-a-week in China and may not be willing to move back for anything less than that, and it remains to be seen if West Ham would be ready to pay that much for a single player when their club is in a turmoil of sorts. Slaven Bilic’s sacking has certainly placed greater pressure on them but they also need to bring in reinforcements to fuel their ambitions.

West Ham have been lacking power, pace and creativity up front and that has truly affected their goal-scoring abilities. However, Ighalo does not seem strong enough to uplift their performances. The 28-year-old spent three years in England with the Hornets previously, scoring 40 goals in 100 appearances – which is not all that impressive. To be fair, Ighalo did help Watford secure a promotion to the top flight in the 2015/16 season but then he just scored 17 times for them the next season.

Right now, West Ham are in need of a proven goal-scoring machine who can score goals day in and day out. And while Ighalo is strong, he is not strong enough and even more so when he comes at a price tag as hefty as that. For that amount, the club could aspire higher and sign a player with a better record.

For Yanai, Ighalo has netted 15 goals in his last 27 outings, while also chipping in with 4 assists. Arguably, that might be an encouraging figure but it will be tough for him to replicate similar numbers in a league as competitive as the Premier League, which only seems to be intensifying by the minute.

Moreover, signing Ighalo could bring about a major uncertainty regarding Andy Carroll’s future at West Ham. That may not be such a bad idea though, considering he has not netted a single goal despite appearing 8 times for the Hammers so far this season. That said, if West Ham are planning to shell out such a huge amount to land a striker in January, maybe they need to aim a little higher.

However, the Premier League has seen some crazy deals happen so far and it would not be surprising if Ighalo were to make his way into the side – even though it might not be the best decision.