West Ham’s most wanted | One player’s transfer saga looks to be over at last

The Hammers striker search has been one of the longest-running, never ending sagas of the club’s last ten years: Fifty players have come and gone even in the time Michail Antonio has been at the club. None have deposed him and until his accident Antonio was still the man with the automatic right to the number nine shirt.Probably two this year have dominated, and none have been so well documented as the infamous ‘Jhon Duran‘ saga and more recently the never ending soap opera of West Ham’s pursuit of Lille’s Canadian Jonathan David. The latter has been the subject of an almost never-ending ‘will he, won’t he’ cliffhanging drama over since it was clear the Canadian would be available this summer on a Bosman deal. The player himself always made it clear he favoured Barcelona, but funds are tight at the Spanish super club and Barca haven’t been interested in matching the package which David wants.West Ham were long quoted as being in the running but – seriously? Without any prospect of European football any suggestion that little ol’ West Ham were going to tempt David to East London were tenuous at best.David – on his way to Serie AIt would appear now that the whole sorry saga is about to be put to bed as reported by footballinsider247.com as:‘West Ham and Tottenham set to be beaten: Napoli seem to be the ones that are really pushing for the Canadian international. So I think there’s more possibility of [him] playing in Serie A than the Premier League next season.”Which will come as a shock to absolutely nobody at West Ham , fans, management or players. At least now the Hammers can get on with the serious business of chasing a forward who actually wants to come to east London. From the old Bobby Moore Upper to the Billy Bonds’ stand these days I’ve been watching since ’03 and a supporter since about 1970.. Don’t take my comments too seriously, imagine we are having a chat at half time over a pint at L S and “let’s disagree without falling out”.