West Ham leading race for £50m “lion” who’s perfect for Lopetegui

It feels like a hefty weight has been lifted from West Ham United, with Julen Lopetegui agreeing a deal to become the Club‘s manager from the start of next season.

Stamford Bridge sang in unison – ‘cheerio, cheerio, cheerio’ – as West Ham were thrashed 5-0 in the Premier League last weekend, condemning an already doomed David Moyes to an exit at the end of his contract this summer.

The deal for Lopetegui has not yet been finalised but his announcement is a formality at this stage, with West Ham confirming Moyes’ departure after final fixtures against Luton Town and Manchester City this month.

Now, Tim Steidten, Mark Noble and co can begin the process of strengthening the team across the summer, with plans already being drawn up for an exciting target.

West Ham lead race for PL star

According to a recent report from Football Transfers, West Ham have received a major boost in their bid to sign Ivan Toney, with Manchester United exiting the race for the Brentford striker.

Now leading the race alongside London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, the Hammers are primed to launch a £50m bid for the Premier League star in what would be a stunning introduction to life under Lopetegui.

Spurs will turn to centre-forward to resolve last year’s sale of Harry Kane, but West Ham can offer a first-choice place at the front, with Michail Antonio out of contract this summer and Danny Ings up for sale for £6.5m.

Ivan Toney’s Premier League career

Toney has long been regarded as a high-level striker, clearly playing above his level with Peterborough Town and Brentford before their promotion to the Premier League, but he has solidified his status as one of the country’s finest with his exploits over the past several campaigns.

Landing such a player would be the perfect way to kickstart a new era in east London, with the aforementioned Irons forwards both ageing and lacking in pure prolific ability, forcing winger slash striker Jarrod Bowen to be saddled with the weight of sourcing the bulk of West Ham’s goals.

Toney’s exemplary 2022/23 campaign was cut short following charges from the FA relating to betting breaches, suspending the England international for eight months.

He’d been hailed for his “monster” performances up front by his manager Thomas Frank and transcended mere goalscoring by producing some emphatic, all-encompassing displays.

Last season in the English top flight, Kane was the only centre-forward to create more chances (14) than Toney (12), with the 28-year-old winning a whopping 6.7 duels per game, as per Sofascore, to underscore his value as a tenacious and committed player.

Antonio, who is renowned for his physicality and tough approach in the final third, averages 4.2 successful duels per fixture in the Premier League this season, emphasising Toney’s quality and how he would slot into the way of things at West Ham.

Returning from his lengthy suspension in January, the £20k-per-week star emphatically placed four goals from his first five matches, though his subsequent barren spell of ten matches without scoring, still ongoing, has typified his side’s struggles and perhaps Toney’s desire to ply his trade elsewhere next season.

How Ivan Toney would fit in at West Ham

Praised for having the “mindset of a lion” by Frank, Toney indeed boasts the predatory instinct to propel him to the forefront of the Premier League once again, and moving to West Ham might just offer him the best chance to do so.

Prominent Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has sung Lopetegui’s praises. Indeed, the 57-year-old has the tools and European trophy-winning experience to ensure that West Ham’s fruitful period is continued over the coming campaigns.

The former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss seems to have been pigeonholed as a ‘defensive manager’, but this is far from the truth. Lopetegui likes possession, control and creativity, and while he demands a solid base, he also strives for slick, interchangeable attacking play.

As per Sky Sports‘ Adam Bate, Lopetegui’s success at Sevilla – in which he notably won the Europa League – was achieved ‘by making them a much more fluent passing side’ with ‘the emphasis on possession’, thus indicating the approach he could take at the London Stadium.

Toney is equipped to thrive in such a role, with his dynamic qualities attracting interest from many of England’s top outfits for good reason.

As per FBref, Toney ranks among the top 19% of centre-forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for passes attempted, the top 21% for progressive passes and the top 1% for interceptions per 90, further highlighting his quality as a rounded player.

These certainly aren’t the most eye-catching metrics in the world but there’s no question that Toney is languishing in a struggling Brentford side, and a move to West Ham could see him return to the lofty heights of seasons past.

Lucas Paqueta is likely headed for the exit this summer with Manchester City pursuing an £85m deal, but such funds could be used to facilitate an ambitious move for the Bees man.

The Club still have creativity in abundance in the form of Bowen, James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus and more, and will surely move to sign a fresh playmaker following Paqueta’s expected sale.

Toney would be the cherry on the top, allowing Bowen to star in his usual position on the right. Moyes might be leaving but by sealing this deal, West Ham will continue to push and probe against those at the forefront of the Premier League.