Why West Ham should avoid playing a gamble on Anthony Lozano
According to Spanish outlet Diario de Cadiz (h/t AS English), West Ham are weighing up a swoop for Cadiz striker Anthony Lozano to bolster their attack in the January transfer window.
The 27-year-old has caught the eye at Cadiz in his debut season in the La Liga, accumulating 3 goals and 2 assists in 14 league appearances for the newly-promoted outfit so far.
Lozano’s rise to prominence in Spain has alerted West Ham, who are willing to pay up to €15m to secure the services of the Honduran international this month. (Diario de Cadiz h/t AS)
Profile
Lozano started his career with Olimpia in Honduras and has gone to represent several clubs in Spain across various divisions. The striker featured for CD Alcoyano, CD Tenerife and Barcelona B in the second tier earlier in his career before earning a move to the top-flight with Girona in January 2018.
However, he was loaned out to Cadiz in the second division after scoring just once in 34 La Liga appearances for Girona. The Honduran guided Cadiz to a promotion-winning campaign in the La Liga 2 with a 9-goal haul last term, finishing as the club’s second-highest goalscorer. (h/t Transfermarkt)
Lozano has been one of the key driving forces behind Cadiz’s impressive start to life back in the top-flight after 14 years, with Alvaro Cervera’s side currently 9th in the La Liga standings.
Meanwhile, West Ham’s pursuit of a new centre-forward in the January window has been heightened by the sale of Sebastian Haller to Ajax. The Hammers decided to cut their losses on him after he failed to live up to his massive transfer fee at the London Stadium. Moving him on meant a big financial hit but it has certainly boosted the club’s transfer kitty to pursue fresh targets.
Michail Antonio started the season as the undisputed first-choice No.9 after guiding West Ham to safety with a flurry of goals towards the back end of the previous campaign. However, the 30-year-old missed several games due to injuries over the past couple of months and while he’s back in the mix now, the Hammers need more cover and competition up top.
Having said that, however, Anthony Lozano might not be the ideal option for West Ham to replace Haller in front of goal. The Honduran star has made a positive impression in the La Liga this season but hardly has the kind of track record to convince that would be able to make the step up to the Premier League.
An overall tally of just 4 goals in 48 appearances in the Spanish top-flight doesn’t really make for impressive readings on paper. Plus, Lozano doesn’t tick the box as a promising youngster either. Hence, a potential swoop for the Cadiz star wouldn’t represent a signing with an eye on the future as far as the Hammers are concerned.
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Verdict
With quality wide players like Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma complementing Antonio in front of goal, West Ham need not panic buy their way out of trouble in the January window. It is always hard to find quality replacements during the mid-season trading period, and even more so, taking into account the challenges presented by the pandemic.
The Hammers have suffered the consequences of unplanned recruitment over the past few years, with players like Haller, Javier Hernandez and Andriy Yarmolenko failing to live up to the expectations. Hence, West Ham’s reported interest in Anthony Lozano doesn’t strike the right chords.
