Journalist Claims West Ham Have Identified “Potential” Striker Target Who Has Been Linked With 3 Other PL Clubs

Panathinaikos striker Fotis Ioannidis is a “potential target” for West Ham ahead of the next transfer window, according to talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook.

The journalist claims that head coach Julen Lopetegui is keen for a new No.9 to be brought in due to Niclas Fullkrug’s ongoing fitness problems.

Since his £27m move from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, the German international has not made a single start in the Premier League.



He is suffering from Achilles tendonitis, which has already kept him on the sidelines for more than a month.

Crook also says that Lopetegui doesn’t see Michail Antonio “as a long-term solution” upfront so a move for a new forward could be considered.

What do West Ham fans need to know about the player?

The Greece international was a player that the Hammers looked at in the summer before they opted to buy Fullkrug instead.

All three promoted sides, Leicester City, Southampton and Ipswich Town, were also linked with bids for Ioannidis in the last transfer window but he remained with Panathinaikos.

He has spent just over four years with the Greek Super League side, having scored 41 goals in 154 appearances.

Ioannidis is currently out injured

The striker would have started for Greece in their Nations League fixture against England earlier this month, but he is sidelined with a fractured adductor at the moment.

Panathinaikos are set to face English opposition on Thursday evening when they take on Chelsea in the Conference League but it’s unlikely that Ioannidis will return for that fixture either. It means fans won’t get the chance to have a closer look at him.

With Lopetegui’s position at the club under threat and the January window quite a way off, it’s probably unwise to guess what targets (if any) West Ham will pursue anyway.

Find out who is in West Ham’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here

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David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.