View: ‘Special’ attacker is perfect Antonio replacement for West Ham as personal terms agreed

West Ham United manager Julen Lopetegui has a new priority in the summer transfer window and that is securing a new centre-forward.

For several seasons now, the Irons have been reliant on Michail Antonio to lead the line week in and week out and it would be naive of them to assume that the Jamaican international can continue in that role.

The 34-year-old had another reasonable season in the Premier League last term, scoring six goals in 21 starts, but he wasn’t able to stay fit and firing for the entirety of the campaign much to David Moyes’ detriment.

Luckily, Lopetegui and Tim Steidten are already considering new options to take over the mantle at the top end of the pitch with Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran understood to be their primary candidate [Evening Standard, 9 July].

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So much of what makes Antonio important to West Ham’s style however is his work off of the ball and out-of-possession.

But in his brief appearances for Villa, Duran has shown he can play that way.

The Colombian places in the 93rd percentile for his peers for tackles won per 90 minutes in the Premier League and the 83rd for dribblers challenged. He’s not afraid to get stuck in and help his side at both ends of the field.

He can also offer a physical presence to help his side move up the field quickly. Antonio’s hold-up play and work with his back to goal has helped the Irons get the best out of the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen.

Duran sits in the top 11 per cent of the league’s forwards for aerials won per match, with an average of 3.79 every 90 minutes and boasts an impressive 62.5 per cent win rate when it comes to aerial battles.

That places the Villa striker in the top three per cent of his positional peers and is a figure much higher than Antonio’s 38.4 per cent success rate.

Is Julen Lopetegui close to any new summer transfers?

This won’t be a cheap transfer for the Hammers to get over the line, but with personal terms already agreed and a £35million bid submitted, West Ham may have finally found their Antonio replacement [Fabrizio Romano, 9 July].

His brief cameo against Liverpool at the end of the season showed exactly what sort of all-action forward the Irons would be getting as he scored twice from an xG of just 0.4.

That display saw Emery label him a “special” player [John Towley, 13 May] and it seems obvious that he would be the perfect fit at the London Stadium.