West Ham warned over 'gamble' amid transfer links with 'brave' Premier League striker

West Ham have been told they would be taking a ‘gamble’ on a reported striker target as Graham Potter looks to land a new frontman this summer. The Hammers are sorely in need of reinforcements after a very disappoint campaign that saw them fortunate to avoid a relegation battle.

The Iron are going to have to tool up for next season, and Potter will be given the chance to put his own stamp on this squad having inherited a squad built to Julen Lopetegui’s needs.

A striker is one of the most important pieces of business, although the Hammers must also now replace Mohammed Kudus, who joined Tottenham on a deal worth £55million. Potter signed Evan Ferguson on loan for the second half of last season, but that deal did not work out.

A number of new strikers have been linked ahead of this summer, and one of them is Everton frontman Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but the Hammers have been warned about his injury history. Pundit Don Goodman told BestBettingSites.com: “Anyone that takes him on is taking a gamble. Anyone in the league would want a fully fit DCL in their squad, of course. Right now, he’s being linked with clubs with Manchester United, West Ham, and there had been a chance he’d stay at Everton. That’s the level he’s at right now. The problem, of course, is that you just can’t guarantee any kind of volume of games from him.

“For athletes, the best ability is availability. That’s what you need first of all. You can only be good if you can be fit. You can’t be world class on the treatment table. For Calvert-Lewin, what he has to make sure of is that he gets a strong pre-season. If he goes on a free to a club and he’s on decent wages, if he gets injured before the season begins, all of a sudden people think you’ve wasted money, and he’s under pressure to rush back, which doesn’t help anyone. So that’s why clubs are probably backing off just now.”

Another pundit in Martin Keown has also spoken about Calvert-Lewin’s injury history in the past. Back in 2023, he praised the striker for his bravery, saying on Match of the Day 2: “Dominic Calvert-Lewin is criticised by Everton fans because of his injury record but I think he is an excellent player who was immensely unlucky to get hurt against Aston Villa.

“Calvert-Lewin was very brave, almost too brave really, to attack the ball in the box the way he did and I think anyone who questions him should remember that - and the fact that he didn't want to come off afterwards. He played on despite having a swelling like you would see in a comic strip and eventually it was clear he could not continue. Most of the time players get injuries that are not visible, but you could certainly see this one. He tried everything to play on, but he shouldn't really have been allowed to stay on for as long as he did.”

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