Krzysztof Piatek (Getty Images)
Back in January this year, a report from Football.London claimed that West Ham had been tracking Polish striker Krzysztof Piatek with a view to a potential transfer before the winter deadline.
Tottenham and Newcastle United were also mentioned among the potential suitors for the 25-year-old, who was then plying his trade with AC Milan in the Serie A. However, a move to English football never quite materialised for Piatek. The Pole eventually completed a transfer to Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin in January.
Krzysztof Piatek started his professional career with Polish club Zaglebie Lubin before completing a move to Cracovia, where he established himself as one of the best young strikers in the Ekstraklasa. The 25-year-old’s astonishing returns of 32 goals in 65 appearances for Cracovia paved the way for a switch to Italy with Genoa in the summer of 2018.
The Pole made an instant impact in the Serie A, scoring 19 goals in 21 appearances for Genoa during the first half of the 2018-19 campaign. That prompted heavyweights AC Milan to snap him up in January 2019. Piatek added 11 goals in 21 outings for the Rossoneri before the end of the season.
Piatek, though, suffered a dip in form last season and fell out of favour at Milan following the return of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He was sold to Hertha Berlin in January after scoring just 5 goals in 20 appearances. He has since enjoyed a positive start to his life in Germany.
A full international for Poland since 2018, Piatek has scored 6 times in 13 appearances for his nation so far.
Michail Antonio has firmly established himself as the first-choice No.9 under David Moyes on the back of some top-drawer performances towards the end of last season. Having bagged 10 goals in 24 league appearances for the Hammers last time around, the 30-year-old has once again hit the ground running this term, scoring twice in 5 PL outings so far.
Antonio’s stellar run of form in front of goal has pushed Sebastien Haller down the pecking order at the London Stadium. The former Eintracht Frankfurt star has failed to start any of West Ham’s five opening league fixtures this season. He scored only 7 times in his debut campaign in the Premier League last term.
Despite all his quality, Haller has clearly struggled to acclimatise to life in East London. Therefore, it would be better for the Hammers to cash in on him in the January window rather than keeping the Frenchman on the bench.
Cashing in on Haller would open the door for West Ham to invest in a new striker, and reigniting interest in Krzysztof Piatek could be a smart idea. The Pole was nothing short of a sensation in Italy. While he has only had a modest start to his career at Hertha Berlin in Germany, the 25-year-old remains a player with enormous potential.
With Haller turning into a flop, West Ham should ideally look for a quality young striker to challenge Michail Antonio, 30, for a place in the side. Krzysztof Piatek has somewhat tailed off over the past 12 months or so.
But his natural goalscoring prowess can hardly be called into question. He has already proven his mettle at the highest level and working under David Moyes will surely add a lot more to the Pole’s repertoire of skills.