Agent opens door for West Ham or Wolves to sign £20m striker in January

Strikers are always in demand. And with West Ham United and Wolves among those linked, a Premier League switch could be on the cards in January.

At least, that is what the agent of one of one of the brightest talents outside of England’s top flight is indicating.

According to reports, West Ham United scouted Middlesbrough’s Emmanuel Latte Lath a few weeks ago. Wolverhampton Wanderers were heavily linked over the summer too, and could look to bring in an alternative to Jorgen Strand-Larsen as Hwang Hee Chan builds up his fitness following a spell out with injury.

Wolves’ lack of depth in the attacking areas could be exposed pretty brutally, meanwhile, should Matheus Cunha cop a lengthy ban following that unseemly brawl at the end of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Ipswich Town.

A defeat which proved to be the final straw at Molineux; Wolves sacked Gary O’Neil soon after with Vitor Pereira, currently working in Saudi Arabia with Al-Shabab, expected to take the former Bournemouth boss’ place.

Agent opens door for West Ham or Wolves to sign Emmanuel Latte Lath

The aforementioned Latte Lath is valued at around £20 million by Middlesbrough, per Molineux News.

O’Neil hinted, before his departure, that Wolves would have money to spend in January. Whether there is enough in the bank to tempt Middlesbrough into selling their star striker, in the midst of a promotion battle, remains to be seen.

Though Matthias Veneroso, speaking to Tuttomercatoweb, will certainly be happy to hear the phone ring.

“He’s back to scoring. Eight goals in the first half of the season, and we expect something to happen in January,” Latte Lath’s agent explains.

“He’s a striker and strikers are always the subject of attention in the January transfer window.”

Seven of those eight Championship goals have come in the last 11 games. Latte Lath, who ended his debut season at Middlesbrough with 18 to his name, scored the winner against Millwall over the weekend.

Michael Carrick explains Latte Lath turnaround at Middlesbrough

Boro boss Michael Carrick has been linked with West Ham too as a potential replacement for Julen Lopetegui. Carrick is focused on taking Middlesbrough into the top six for the time being, however, and is delighted to see Latte Lath rediscover his form after a difficult start to the campaign.

“Fantastic. I’m delighted for Manu,” Carrick told Teesside Live after Latte Lath scored a hat-trick in a 6-2 obliteration of Oxford United. “He’s found his stride and that sharpness and zip.

“Confidence is so hard to put a price on. When you’ve got it and you’re in that moment, in the zone, you see the solution all the time. You don’t see the problem or the hazards, you just see the solution.”

TBR understands that, in addition to Latte Lath, West Ham are chasing long-time target Yuri Alberto again. The Hammers saw a £14 million bid for the Corinthians hitman rejected back in 2023. A year-and-a-half on, he is in the form of his life.

Yuri Alberto won Brazil’s Golden Boot last week after scoring a career-best 31 goals across all competitions.

West Ham director Tim Steidten likes Mainz’ Jonathan Burkhardt. The Londoners are also expected to be in the race if Brighton and Hove Albion make Evan Ferguson available for loan.