West Ham must be wary over £16m striker after Wilshere experiment

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West Ham United are reportedly one of the teams interested in signing Danny Welbeck this summer (The Sun).

The Arsenal man will be out of contact when the season finishes, although the Gunners could offer him a new deal.

Welbeck has spent most of the current season on the sidelines after suffering a broken ankle during a Europa League clash against Sporting CP.

Before his season-ending injury, the Englishman had managed five goals and one assist.

There’s a chance he won’t be adding to his haul of 32 goals for the club, but West Ham must be wary about making an offer to the player given how the Jack Wilshere experiment has fared so far.

TBR’s view

Wilshere joined West Ham for free last summer after running down his contract at the Emirates Stadium.

His injury problems over the past years had been well documented, but the Hammers decided to move for him anyway.

In his first season, he has made just six Premier League appearances having been dogged by ankle issues.

Considering he takes home £100,000-a-week, the gamble certainly hasn’t paid off.

Welbeck currently earns £70,000-a-week (Total Sportek) and has that same injury-prone status as Wilshere, although not quite as severe.

Since signing for Arsenal for £16 million from Manchester United in 2014 (BBC Sport), Welbeck has sustained seven injuries causing him to miss 119 games – so West Ham perhaps steer clear of this one.