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This article is part of Football FanCast's Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news...

West Ham must sign a replacement for Jordan Hugill after the striker joined Queens Park Rangers on a season-long loan deal on Sunday.

What's the word, then?

Well, the Hammers signed Hugill from Preston back in January 2018 in a deal worth £10m, and it is safe to say that the forward hasn't really set the world alight at the London Stadium - not by any means.

The 27-year-old has failed to score a single goal for the Hammers in just three appearances, and spent last season out on loan with Middlesbrough where he hit seven goals in 41 games for the Teesiders.

The 6 foot striker has been a massive flop for the Irons, and you can see why he has been shipped out on loan once again - however, the east Londoners cannot just wipe their hands of Hugill and be done with it.

A replacement must be signed

You may wonder just how hard it would be to replace a man without a single goal for the club, and the answer would be: not too hard, in all honesty.

However, even if it is another Hugill type (why on earth would it be?) or an actual challenger to Sebastien Haller or Javier Hernandez, Manuel Pellegrini must get a new striker through the door simply to add depth to the striking ranks.

Check out some amazing tekkers in the video below...

The Irons now have just the aforementioned pair as first-team strikers, which leaves them pretty thin on the ground in terms of centre-forwards.

Hugill may not have been a key player, but his presence provided backup in case of injury or suspension. His departure, along with Andy Carroll, Marko Arnautovic and Lucas Perez also leaving, means at least one new face must be signed to provide adequate depth next season.

Going into the new campaign with just two recognised strikers would be a huge risk for Pellegrini, and one not worth taking for the Hammers.

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