Already turning towards the transfer market despite a busy summer window, Julen Lopetegui now reportedly wants West Ham United to sign a forward who has scored three times against the Hammers.
Whilst Fullkrug and Summerville have struggled, Duran has been playing the best football of his career to arguably become the Premier League’s most in-form striker alongside Erling Haaland, who stands in a category of his own. The Aston Villa star stands out as one that West Ham will rue missing out on, with no limit to his current goalscoring exploits.
Nonetheless, those at the London Stadium have seemingly put that regret to one side to instead shift their focus to further reinforcements. According to reports in Spain, Lopetegui now wants Steidten to sign Ayoze Perez from Villarreal, who could be in line for a shock Premier League return after finding his best form at 31 years old.
An experienced forward these days, Perez bounced back from Leicester City failure and Newcastle mediocrity in La Liga, first enjoying success with Real Betis and now starring at Villarreal with an impressive six goals in seven games so far this season. Perhaps seeking Premier League redemption, however, Perez could quickly end West Ham’s striker problems and come back to haunt Leicester when 2025 arrives.
West Ham know all about “excellent” Perez quality
It’s no surprise that West Ham are keen to avoid playing against Perez and instead add the Spaniard to their side, given that he’s scored three goals against the Hammers over the years at Leicester and Newcastle. With the form that he’s found this season too, those at the London Stadium would be striking at the perfect time.
Even during what eventually proved to be a disappointing spell at Leicester, Perez earned the praise of Brendan Rodgers, who told the club’s official website after the Spaniard’s strike in a 2-1 win over Sheffield United: “I thought he (Pérez) was excellent. He’s been unfortunate not to have played as much, but the team had been doing well and, in some moments, he wasn’t in the squad. I felt this was a game to give him that opportunity, and it was a really, really good finish.”
At 31 years old, the forward could now get one last chance to steal the headlines in England’s top flight, courtesy of West Ham and Lopetegui in 2025.