West Ham United have scored just 32 goals in 27 Premier League games this season and at an average of slightly over a strike per game, Graham Potter’s side is simply unable to justify having several good offensive players in the team. In spite of signing Evan Ferguson in the winter and Niclas Fullkrug last summer, the goals at London Stadium have visibly dried up.
Prior to next season, it seems like the Hammers have a centre forward their priority and according to German source Sport Bild, Mainz striker Jonathan Burkardt is the latest on their radar. The report adds that turning down advances from England could prove too hard for the 24-year-old to turn down and his employers are prepared to let him depart for roughly £41 million.
Mainz are having a fantastic season in the Bundesliga, where they are fourth in the table, and Burkardt has been especially vital for them in the final third. He has scored 15 goals for them in all competitions, with 14 of them coming in the German top division, apart from providing three more assists, all while captaining Die Nullfunfer.
A technical astute striker
Jonathan Burkardt is one of Europe’s most technically adept strikers, while his age makes him a player with very high potential. He is very good at holding the ball and releasing wingers, an attribute that will help him get the best out of Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus if he were to join West Ham.
The forward is also superb in the box with his six-foot height making him a good aerial presence. Mainz play some high tempo football with the use of their impressively physical players, so Burkardt particularly might not have too many problems settling in the Premier League either. His price tag could be the only hindrance over a transfer to London working out or not.
A £41 million investment could certainly work brilliantly, but for a player who has impressed for just over six months, it remains to be seen if West Ham will be willing to take as much of a risk.
