Ex-West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand has backed his former club to pursue a move for Armando Broja this summer.

The Chelsea striker has impressed during a loan spell at Southampton this season and, with the Hammers keen to strengthen their forward line, Ferdinand believes Broja would be a perfect fit, as he has similar traits to Michail Antonio:

“I’d like us to go and get Broja, who’s at Southampton on loan from Chelsea. He’s exciting. He can finish. He’s a powerful young man. Not the same but similar to Antonio in terms of his presence and strength. He’s willing to run and occupy two centre-backs and for me personally, he’s somebody that West Ham should look to go and get.”

Broja is a player in high demand. Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has stated on more than one occasion that he would like to keep the Albanian international on a permanent basis. Arsenal and Serie A side Napoli are also thought to be admirers of the player.

The 20-year-old will return to Chelsea in June but any decision on his future will only be made once the London club’s ownership situation is resolved.

In terms of the Hammers, manager David Moyes will be looking at plenty of different forward options ahead of the summer. The likes of Benfica’s Darwin Nunez, Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Real Madrid’s Luka Jovic have also been linked in recent weeks.