According to reports on Tuesday morning, Sam Allardyce hopes to bolster his West Ham United attack by signing Felipe Caicedo.
Due to the lengthy absence of summer signing Andy Carroll, the Hammers have been forced to adopt a 4-6-0 formation in recent weeks. This appears to be doing them little favours, though, with only Sunderland (eight) and Crystal Palace (six) registering less than the nine goals they have recorded in the opening 11 rounds of fixtures.
With Carroll said to be struggling to recover from a heel injury and illness, it is no surprise to learn that Allardyce is hoping to use the January window to strengthen his options. According to The Express, the West Ham manager has set his sights on a deal for former Manchester City forward Caicedo, currently of Lokomotiv Moscow.
The Ecuadorian has fallen down the pecking order under new coach Leonid Kuchuk, with just three of his 12 league appearances this season coming from a starting position. And his agent, Jose Chamorro, admits the 25-year-old, who has scored just once this term, is ready to quit the Russian giants for a fresh challenge elsewhere.
“Caicedo’s game has long earned the attention of many European clubs,” he is quoted as saying by the tabloid. “Naming any specific team does not make sense, but I don’t mind saying that there are clubs from Europe’s leading championships interested. However, I should note that Felipe respects his current contract with Lokomotiv.”
Caicedo scored five goals in 27 league appearances during his three-year stint in Manchester, which also took in loan spells at Sporting Lisbon, Malaga and Levante, the latter of whom brought out the best of him which resulted in a £6million move to Lokomotiv. He remains under contract until the summer of 2015, but he could be available on a loan deal for the rest of the season with the view to a permanent switch should he impress.
