West Ham United succumbed to their second defeat of the week on Sunday as they were beaten 2-0 by Fulham at the London Stadium in the Premier League.
A brace from former Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira secured all three points for the away side, as David Moyes' team failed to provide an attacking threat throughout the match.
Fulham racked up an xG (Expected Goals) total of 3.29 from 18 shots at goal, whereas the Hammers only managed an xG of 0.93 from 15 shots.
West Ham have scored 52 goals in the Premier League so far this season, the second-lowest tally within the top half, and are now reportedly eyeing up a striker to bolster their goalscoring options.
West Ham's interest in irresistible centre-forward
According to The Sun, the Hammers are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign Panathinaikos centre-forward Fotis Ioannidis in the upcoming summer transfer window. They are lining up a possible swoop to bring the Greek international to England but will face competition for his signature, as Fulham are also looking at him.
The report claims that the Super League side are looking for a fee in the region of £15m to let him leave. They are prepared to cash in on their star man for the right fee, as his dream is to play in the Premier League.
It states that the 24-year-old marksman has been in unstoppable form for Panathinaikos this season, and that West Ham and Fulham are both keen to sign him as they want to add more firepower to their respective squads ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Why West Ham should sign Fotis Ioannidis
The Hammers should push to sign the Greek international this summer as his goalscoring record this term suggests that he could be a fantastic addition to Moyes' side. Ioannidis, who has been described as "dangerous" by analyst Ben Mattinson, has racked up an impressive tally of 21 goals and eight assists in 40 appearances in all competitions.
He produced an eye-catching five goals in six Europa League outings, as his team were knocked out during the group stage, and this suggests that the talented ace has the quality to compete on the European stage.
Appearances
24
21
Goals
13
4
Sofascore rating
7.51
6.77
Assists
6
2
Big chances created
8
1
As you can see in the table above, Ioannidis has more than tripled current West Ham number nine Michail Antonio's output at league level this season, along with having four more assists. Antonio, who has failed to score in five Europa League appearances this term, has not provided a reliable source of goals in the final third for the Hammers, with four goals in 26 matches in all competitions.
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There is no guarantee that Ioannidis' form will translate over to the Premier League but their respective statistics suggest that the potential is there for Moyes to land a huge upgrade on his current first-choice striker by landing a deal for the £15m-rated finisher this summer.