GIANFRANCO ZOLA will have to make do with just one more striker to help Carlton Cole score the goals that he hopes will fire West Ham into Europe this season.
Alessandro Diamanti, pictured, will join forces with Cole after completing his move from Italian side Livorno last week.
However, Zola admitted after the weekend’s goalless draw at Blackburn Rovers that he was keen to recruit another forward.
He was quoted as saying: “I think another one would not cause any harm. Carlton Cole is doing great but I can’t pretend he is always going to be considered because he also has games with the international team, so he will need some rest. So we need to consider looking for a replacement for him.”
That has not happened, as the final day of the summer transfer window passed without a player to lessen the load that sits heavy on the shoulders of Cole.
The only piece of business conducted by the Hammers was for the sale of defender James Collins, who was offloaded to Aston Villa for a fee reported to be in the region of £5million.
Prior to that, Zola did manage to secure the services of Portuguese defender Manuel Da Costa, who arrived from Fiorentina on a three-year deal, with Savio Nsereko heading in the opposite direction after a disappointingly brief spell at Upton Park.
Zola’s pursuit of Bordeaux striker and Arsenal target Marouane Chamakh also failed, although rumours suggest he may return for the Moroccan in January.
Reports also linked the Hammers with a move for Barcelona star Eidur Gudjohnsen throughout the summer months, but nothing materialised.
Inter Milan’s Luis Jiminez was the other major coup of the window, the Chilean coming in on a season’s long loan deal, while youngsters Fabio Daprela, a defender, and striker Franck Nouble were also brought in.
It promises to be a tough slog for West Ham’s paper-thin striking department this season.
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