West Ham backed to seal 'bargain' Leeds United agreement | OneFootball

Football League World's West Ham fan pundit shares their thoughts on the reported £16 million price tag on target Joel Piroe

West Ham United's return to the Championship is well and truly back underway, with the Hammers looking to get some important business over the line before the September 1st deadline.

West Ham opened their Championship campaign with a 2-2 draw away to relegation rivals Burnley, squandering a 2-0 lead in the process courtesy of a Zian Flemming brace.

It took the Hammers a while to get their summer business underway, with the club having now completed deals to sign former Brighton and Hove Albion defender Joel Veltman, as well as Manor Solomon from Spurs, with the latter netting on his debut on Sunday.

However, head coach Nuno Espírito Santo remains steadfast in his pursuit of further options in the final third, and looks to have turned his attentions to a player that won the Championship golden boot just over 12 months ago.

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West Ham have been in pursuit of another option up top this summer to provide competition for Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe, with Niclas Füllkrug expected to leave before the deadline.

Irish hitman Troy Parrott has been the subject of heavy interest across the past month or so, but now, a deal for the AZ striker has seemingly collapsed, with Leeds United's Joel Piroe now emerging as the Hammers' number one option up top.

Jamie Vardy has also been linked, though Brazilian outfit Sao Paulo are circling for the former Leicester City star, as Piroe is in pole position to make the move to East London.

Anthony Joseph has reported that an initial loan deal containing an obligation to buy the Surinamese forward is close to being complete, with his reported £16 million price tag ruling out an initial permanent switch.

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Football League World's West Ham fan pundit, Ryan Horn, has shared their thoughts on the £16 million price tag for Joel Piroe, and whether they have any sort of reservations about that fee.

Ryan said: "I think £16 million for Joel Piroe is a banging price.

"It sucks that it looks like the deal for Parrott is over, because I was kind of looking forward to him. But Piroe is a brilliant backup option.

"I mean, his Championship record is brilliant. He didn't score last season in the Premier League. But, like I've said, his Championship record. Yeah, £16 million bargain. Bring him in.

"I'd love to see him play up front with Taty [Castellanos] or come off the bench. I mean, it's options we need. We need depth and experience, and he's in sort of the prime of his career.

"So no, I don't have any reservations at that price. I'm all for it. All for him coming in and playing in Claret and Blue."

Ryan previously told Football League World that a move for Parrott would be 'brilliant', but now seems smitten at the idea of Piroe at the London Stadium, with an initial loan move seemingly edging closer.

Nuno Espirito Santo must be delighted with the impending addition of Joel Piroe despite missing out on Troy Parrott

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Piroe, 27, has a wonderful goalscoring record at Championship level, and entering what ought to be the prime of his career, could be set to take the division by storm once again.

The Suriname international has scored 73 and grabbed 18 assists across 179 appearances in the Championship in spells with Swansea City and Leeds, but has struggled to make the jump to the Premier League, falling behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha in the pecking order.

He was limited to less than 250 minutes of top-flight football last season across 16 appearances, starting just twice, with an exit this summer always on the cards.

Now, West Ham appear to be the beneficiaries of Leeds' strength and depth up top by edging closer to a move for Piroe, with a deal on the verge of completion.