West Ham 'identify' 6ft2" Even Ferguson alternative as £25m asking price named

West Ham may have found an alternative to Evan Ferguson in their search for a new striker this month. The Hammers were initially focusing on a defensive reinforcement this month, but the injury picked up by Niclas Fullkrug means there is now a need for another frontman.

The arrival of Graham Potter as the new boss has given rise to links with Brighton striker Ferguson, who looks likely to move on amid game time struggles under Fabian Hurzeler this season.

But the Hammers are yet to strike a deal for Ferguson, and it seems they could have a few irons in the fire. According to L'Equipe, the Irons are interested in a deal to sign Nice forward Evann Guessand. It’s claimed West Ham are already ‘in talks’ with the player’s representatives as they look to figure out a deal.

Though, Nice are said to be valuing the forward at £25million, which could make a deal tricky to strike this month. Guessand has a contract until 2028, and he recently said: “I’m at Nice. The season is ongoing and we have objectives. I am fully focused on my club and the objectives that await us,”

Guessand is a 23-year-old striker who has 10 goals under his belt across all competitions this season, making 28 appearances overall. The one-time Ivory Coast international has scored 15 goals in 72 league appearances overall, while he scored three in 30 league appearances while on loan with Nantes between 2022 and 2023.

The striker is not particularly prolific, but he is more of a target man, standing at 6ft2” tall, and that makes him a more natural replacement for Fullkrug.

Hammers improvements

As the search goes on, West Ham continue to make small improvements under Potter, and they will be pleased to have picked up a point at Aston Villa over the weekend. Potter said after the game: "I think the performance maybe deserved more. We played well after the first 15 minutes.

"We tried to win the ball back high. It's a reward for the performance we got today. We wanted our wing-backs to be more aggressive with their movement, which they did. It's really pleasing overall that the squad looks ready to fight. This has been the first week we've had as a training week. We have to keep going, we are at the start."