Five forwards capable of taking Arnautovic's place at West Ham

With Marko Arnautovic still linked with a move away from West Ham, the club have been linked to a number of strikers seemingly identified to replace the Austrian. 

With the club in line to make a handsome profit on their former record signing, reportedly leaving the capital for a fee in the region of £40m, the owners will certainly have a significant budget to find the right man to spearhead the attack moving forwards. 

Having already missed out on one target, with Krzsystof Piatek making the move to AC Milan to allow Gonzalo Higuain’s switch to Hammers’ rivals Chelsea, we take a look at the other names mentioned in the club’s pursuit for a new leading man, as well as suggesting two more that could fit the bill. 

The graphic below compares Marko Arnautovic’s West Ham statistics in matches in which he has started as a centre-forward in the Premier League to five forwards that could be capable of filling the void. 

Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez appears to be the player most likely to make the switch this month, with a £45m release clause in his contract meaning the 22-year-old is certainly not out of the Hammers’ reach. The 22-year-old Uruguayan is among the top rated young forwards in Europe right now, with 26 goals since the start of last season in La Liga, so if the club could agree terms with the South American it would be considered quite the coup. 

When just taking matches that each player has started up front in the league, Gomez falls short of Arnautovic’s figures for both goals (0.46 from 0.55) and shots (2.44 from 3.2) per 90 minutes, though a conversion rate of 19 per cent from said games is superior to the Austrian (17 per cent). 

However, where the youngster really has work to do to reach Arnautovic’s level relates more to his play outside of the box. The Celta marksman does most of his work inside it, while the Hammers striker’s real strength is in his ability to both bring others into play or alleviate pressure by keeping hold of it himself.  

Arnautovic has averaged 1.57 key passes and an excellent 1.87 successful dribbles per 90 minutes when starting up front since the start of last season, with Gomez way down on 0.79 and 0.44 respectively. There’s little doubt that the Uruguay international has great potential to be a potent goalscorer throughout his career, but beyond that his game still needs fine tuning. 

It’s an area of the game in which Callum Wilson - another apparent target of the club - has made significant strides this season. The Cherries front man has been ruled out of a move away this month by his manager, but Eddie Howe also confirmed that no concrete offer had been made for the England international, so it’s unclear what sort of an offer might test the club’s resolve. 

The 26-year-old bagged his tenth league goal of the season in stunning fashion against West Ham last weekend, and his figures across the board have improved substantially this season. Since the start of last, however, his statistics remain some way short of Arnautovic aside, once more, from his conversion rate (19.1 per cent), which is marginally greater than that of Gomez. 

He’s closer to the Austrian by way of key passes (1.13) and dribbles (0.68) per 90 minutes, but West Ham’s other reported target stacks up best compared to their want away front man. 

On loan from Sampdoria, Atalanta are expected to take the option to sign Duvan Zapata permanently for a fee in the region of £20m, but West Ham could still test their mettle should they do so with an offer that could surpass doubling that price. 

The Londoners came close to signing Zapata a number of years ago only to see any move blocked due to not being able to attain a work permit, but that would be no such problem this time around for the Colombia international. 

Now 27, the powerful striker has really begun to realise his potential this season having promised so much when he arrived at Napoli in 2013. Indeed, Zapata’s current form is unrivalled anywhere in world football, scoring for an eighth consecutive appearance at the weekend with four goals against Frosinone. In that time he’s bagged 14 goals in total, including another hat-trick at Udinese, and as a result it’s he that exceeds Arnautovic’s numbers in terms of goals per 90 minutes since the start of last season (0.6). 

Moreover, his conversion rate (21 per cent) in starts up front is not only better than the 29-year-old but also both Gomez and Wilson. More pertinently, however, the South American is arguably a more similar type of player in terms of his build up play, and while averages of 1.34 key passes and 1.23 dribbles per 90 still don’t reach those of Arnautovic, it’s clear Zapata may well be a better fit if West Ham are looking for a direct replacement. 

If the club are willing to look to a different style of player, then there are few target men quite as effective as Frankfurt’s Sebastien Haller right now. The Frenchman has also been linked with a move to England in the past and his form in the Bundesliga will no doubt have attracted interest once more. 

At 24 he still has plenty of room for improvement, and if his trajectory in that regard is anything to go by then Haller will be in high demand before long. Extremely strong in the air, having won 7.2 aerial duels per 90 this season, the former France youth international uses his body superbly, both in the opposition box and bringing others into play. 

He too scored his tenth league goal of the season last weekend, but it’s a further eight league assists that is arguably more eye-catching. He has fewer shots than the rest of the players assessed here - just 1.8 per 90 in starts up front since 2017/18 - but as a result his conversion rate of 22.2 per cent is the strongest. 

Haller is also the only player of five here with a superior WhoScored.com rating from the games considered (7.32) than Arnautovic (7.27) and it’s somewhat bizarre that his name hasn’t been seen in the gossip columns this month. 

Compatriot Wissam Ben Yedder is our final suggestion, and while the Sevilla striker is an important player for the Spanish outfit, he’s not a guaranteed starter and, as such, could still be seen as dispensable. 

The 28-year-old has only started 32 of 42 league appearances since the start of last season, so a tally of 18 goals in that time is not to be sniffed at. From said starts his average in terms of goals per 90 (0.53) is extremely similar to that of Arnautovic (0.55), though he too is a more clinical finisher, converting 20.5 per cent of his chances. 

Ben Yedder is also the Austrian’s closest challenger here by way of key passes per 90 (1.5), though an average of 0.9 dribbles highlights that he doesn’t possess the same ability to launch an attack by himself. 

That said, the five players analysed here all offer something that could ensure Arnautovic’s departure from the London Stadium isn’t felt too keenly, with all five boasting a greater conversion rate. There is no question West Ham will miss their number seven’s all round strength and ability from the front but there is reason to believe that, spent wisely, the money received from his sale could offer the club the chance to sign a more than capable striker to take his place.