West Ham must buy experienced strikers - Gold
(Reuters) - West Ham United are focused on adding quality strikers to the squad as their current forwards continue to struggle with recurring injury problems, the Premier League club's joint-chairman David Gold has said.
Strikers Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho scored a combined eight league goals last campaign as they were plagued with injuries and the London side were heavily reliant on midfielders Michail Antonio and Manuel Lanzini to make up the deficit.
None of West Ham's players reached the 10-goal mark as the club finished 11th in the league last season and Gold confirmed that signing goal scorers for next season was the club's main priority.
"It's clear to most fans that we are desperate for centre-forwards... Andy Carroll is injury-prone as we know, we have had an injury problem with Sakho and we have just got to bring in centre-forwards," Gold told British radio station talkSPORT.
"Without strikers, you struggle in the Premier League. You struggle in any division because strikers are your key players.
"You have to spend your money wisely but it must be on strikers, particularly strikers that have had experience with Premier League football... the very best we can afford."
Defender Pablo Zabaleta has been the club's only signing so far in the current transfer window.
(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru)