West Ham in contact for “sensational” £34m star

The 2024/25 campaign was certainly a disappointment for West Ham United. Graham Potter’s side ended up finishing 14th in the Premier League, but given some of the talent in their squad, it could be seen as a disappointing campaign overall.

Indeed, one of the biggest issues last term for the Hammers was putting the ball in the back of the net. They did not find it easy to score goals, scoring 46 in total, better than only five sides, as per Understat. Worryingly, they underperformed on their expected goals tally, which was at 50.59xG last term.

Despite losing the attacking talent of Mohammed Kudus this summer, with the Ghanaian joining Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham are looking to add firepower in forward areas to their squad.

West Ham’s latest attacking target

Of course, losing a player with the attacking quality of Kudus is a blow for the Hammers, but they still have the likes of Jarrod Bowen in their side who can contribute in attack. To add to the depth in forward areas, the Hammers seem to be plotting a shock move this summer.

According to a recent report from Graeme Bailey, West Ham are one of the sides ‘to have registered their interest’ in signing Real Madrid’s new breakout star Gonzalo Garcia on loan this summer, suggesting they have opened up talks to sign him.

The striker, who made a name for himself at the recent Club World Cup in America, is also wanted by newly promoted pair Leeds United and Sunderland, and the Hammers’ London rivals, Brentford.

Although this is a loan deal, previous reports suggested that Chelsea were ready to fork out £34m for his signature, as per reports in Spain.

Why Garcia would be a good signing

It is fair to say that the last month or so has been a whirlwind for Garcia. He got his chance at the Club World Cup for Los Blancos after Kylian Mbappe fell ill at the start of the competition, and certainly took his opportunity.

Before the start of the tournament in June, the 21-year-old had only played six times for Madrid’s senior side, scoring once. His record for Real Madrid Castilla was impressive, with 30 goals and seven assists in 73 appearances.

Yet, since becoming a key player in the Club World Cup, the Madrid-born attacker has been “sensational”, according to former striker Joselu. He bagged four goals and grabbed an assist in six games in the tournament, which included strikes against Juventus and Borussia Dortmund.

Those sorts of numbers will surely pique the interest of West Ham fans, and maybe even their captain, Bowen.

The 28-year-old was sensational once again last term, with 13 goals and ten assists in 34 Premier League games, in a season where they were lacklustre in front of goal.

Indeed, some of the numbers the England star put up last term, via FBref, suggest that he might link up well with the Los Blancos man.

For example, he averaged 0.24 crosses and 1.39 passes into the penalty area per 90 minutes last season, ranking him in the top 17% and 14% respectively.

Passes into the penalty box like the one above for Danny Ings last season could make Bowen and Garcia a deadly combination. Some of his numbers from the Club World Cup suggest they could form a dangerous duo.

According to the stats from Squawka, the Los Blancos academy star scored four goals from inside the penalty box in the competition. Not only does that highlight a great centre-forward’s instinct, but also suggests he is capable of getting on the end of Bowen’s crosses. He also had a 44.44% conversion rate.

Those kinds of numbers, coupled with Bowen’s tendency to get crosses into the box and create chances, with his ten Premier League assists last term, are evidence enough to suggest these two could become a deadly partnership.

Whilst it is initially only a loan deal, a £34m fee has been reported. If the temporary move goes well, perhaps it can become permanent and turn into one of the bargains of the summer.

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