West Ham want free agent Tony Cottee once deemed a ‘special talent’

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West Ham United have already made two signings this summer and are closing in on a third, and it looks as though they’ve only just begun.

Brazilian midfielder Luis Guilherme has joined the Hammers from Palmeiras, while veteran goalkeeper Wes Foderingham has arrived at the London Stadium on a free transfer.

Recent reports have suggested that West Ham are on the verge of signing Wolverhampton Wanderers defender and captain Max Kilman too.

Once the Kilman signing is over the line, the Hammers may well look at signing a new centre-forward, as they’re short of numbers up front.

Now, according to GiveMeSport, West Ham are mulling over a move for a striker who Tony Cottee once deemed a “special talent”. And he’s a free agent too.

READ MORE: West Ham could now submit bid to sign ‘one of the best strikers’ in Europe with 99 career goals

West Ham plotting Kelechi Iheanacho swoop

The player in question is Nigeria international Kelechi Iheanacho, whose Leicester contract expired at the end of June.

GiveMeSport have reported that West Ham and Wolves have both set their sights on the 27-year-old and could battle for his signature in the coming weeks.

Iheanacho is said to be desperately searching for a fresh challenge after his Foxes deal ran out, leaving him in limbo ahead of the Premier League’s pre-season.

The Hammers reportedly feel that Iheanacho would provide competition for Michail Antonio without having to fork out on a transfer fee.

This is a similar story for Wolves, who are apparently keen to bring in competition for the likes of Matheus Cunha.

Cottee said Iheanacho makes scoring ‘look so easy’

Iheanacho is an experienced forward in his prime with a decent record for Leicester, having registered 61 goals and 34 assists from 232 outings.

The 6ft 1in forward has also won 54 caps for Nigeria, netting 15 times and weighing in with eight assists.

Back in October 2021, West Ham and Leicester icon Tony Cottee sung Iheanacho’s praises after opening the scoring in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.

“With Kelechi, you’ve got that class,” he told LCFC TV, via X.

“If you watch the slow-motion, you’ll see him take just a little glance up. His head goes up, ‘where’s the goal?’. What am I going to do?’ and he just made it look so easy.”

“That’s the biggest compliment I can pay him. If you can just stroke and side-foot the ball past the goalkeeper, you’re doing something right, and it shows you’ve got a special talent.”

“So let’s give him praise for two things: the closing down and then the quality of the finish.”