West Ham United co-chairman David Gold has admitted that the club are desperate to sign at least one striker before the end of the transfer window.
Andy Carroll's need to fully recover from knee surgery means that he is unlikely to return until next month, while the Hammers were dealt another blow when Enner Valencia was ruled out for 12 weeks after injuring his leg in the Europa League.
West Ham have been repeatedly linked with a move for Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez, who is also reported to be attracting interest from Tottenham Hotspur.
"We have been very unfortunate in losing Valencia before the season kicked off," he told Sky Sports News. "We already believed we needed a striker because of Andy Carroll not rejoining the squad until September.
"Now we really must find another centre forward before the transfer window closes. Yes we would like two, but we have to be realistic."
One player who is unlikely to join West Ham is Joey Barton, whose proposed move to Upton Park has reportedly collapsed after supporters voiced their concern about the midfielder.
Callum Mulvihill
