West Ham step up transfer activity and target Swansea's Andre Ayew for £16m

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Ken Dyer29 July 2016

West Ham have admitted that a lengthening injury list will force them to be more active in the transfer market than planned.

Left-back Aaron Cressswell and Argentine midfielder Manuel Lanzini are both out “for a long time” according to West Ham assistant manager Nikola Jurcevic and they have been joined by new signing, Turkey winger Gokhan Tore, who has a knee problem and was due to undergo a scan today.

West Ham’s priority this summer was always a top quality striker but now they must add a left-back and a playmaker to their wanted list.

One man who could be heading to the club is Swansea’s Ghanaian frontman Andre Ayew in a £16million deal.

West Ham were linked with the 26-year-old, who scored 12 goals last season, when he was available on a free transfer from Marseille last summer but were reluctant to meet his wage demands.

Jurcevic, meanwhile, speaking after West Ham’s 2-1 Europa League third qualifying round defeat by NK Domzale, said: “Gokhan Tore was injured in training on Monday and he must have a scan.

“Maybe we will possibly do something in the transfer market because we need players in some positions. Aaron Cresswell and Manuel Lanzini are injured and cannot play for a long time.”

Jurcevic, in charge for the game following the Uefa touchline ban on Slaven Bilic, believes West Ham will be stronger in next week’s second leg, their opening match at the Olympic Stadium, but admitted his disappointment at the team’s performance last night.

“Next week we will have Angelo Ogbonna and James Collins training so we maybe will have some more players,” he said. “Domzale were really good, though, while our performance was not so good. We were not satisfied with this result.

The players Tony Carr brought through at West Ham

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“Okay, we were maybe not in our top form because it was our first game and we were without some very important players and only had young players on the bench but this is not an excuse.

“I am sure we will be better next week and I hope it will be a different game in the Olympic Stadium with about 54,000 spectators.”

NK Domzale’s best player, Matic Crnic, scored both their goals, the first from the penalty spot after Havard Nordtveit was judged to have handled. “I don’t think it was a penalty in the first half but you have to get on with it,” said West Ham captain Mark Noble, who scored, also from the penalty spot.

“This result isn’t ideal. We had a good enough team to come here and win but we didn’t do that.

“These games are tough but we didn’t play well.”

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