It's Parrot vs Piroe as Hammers head to Burnley for season's opener

 

As the championship season gets underway today, West Ham are still busily trying to build a squad that can fire them back into the premiership at first time of asking. The arrival of Arne Engels from Celtic has significantly boosted their midfield options and at this stage, the biggest issue for Nuno Espirito Santo is whether the combination of Jarrod Bowen and Taty Castellanos can score enough goals to dominate the championship.

The current focus appears to be on trying to bring in either Troy Parrott or Joël Piroe to lead the frontline with AZ Alkmaar holding out for around twenty five million whilst Leeds look willing to release Piroe for around fifteen million or perhaps even on a loan to buy deal.

While it remains unclear whether parrott is truly open to a return to english football , it would be a real coup for the hammers , if they could persuade the prolific irish man to lead their drive back to the premiership. Although Piroe has previously had an impressive scoring record in the championship, last season he struggled for  game time and did not manage a single premiership strike. In contrast, Parrott slotted 16 goals in the Eredivisie with an impressive total of 31 goals in all competitions over the course of the season as he continued his impressive form into international duty.

Perhaps, more importantly, Parrott represents a much better fit as a partner for Jarrod Bowen with his mobility and finishing prowess. Tactically, Piroe is much more static, while Parrott has the ability to create space through his clever running and the combination of Bowen, Parrott and the creative Engels presents an impressive potential to dominate the championship.

Also in the background is the possibility that Jamie Vardy may arrive to add further attacking punch, but in reality at 39 years of age he will probably be used as an impact substitute.

Overall, it is obvious that west ham still have much to do in order to build a squad capable of achieving promotion back to the top tier. Today's clash away to Burnley will be a big test of their credentials after an impressive home win against Portsmouth last week in the league cup.

Kick off today is at 4pm.

COYI!!!