West Ham United have struggled all season when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net.

The Hammers brought in Gianluca Scamacca in the summer to bolster their attacking options, with the Italian expected to be a natural successor to Michail Antonio at the London Stadium.

Why have West Ham struggled this season?

However, the Italian has thus far failed to live up to expectations, with just three Premier League goals in 16 appearances, with a woeful 6.50 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Unfortunately for David Moyes, the usually reliable Antonio has also regressed this campaign, as he also boasts just three goals in 23 top-flight outings, resulting in a similarly disappointing 6.42 average rating from WhoScored.

The Jamaica international is 32 now and cannot be expected to be a reliable source of goals in Moyes' side anymore, so it was no surprise to see the Scottish manager bring in a goalscorer in January, with Danny Ings joining from Aston Villa as the Hammers look to stave off relegation back to the Championship.

Sadly, the former Liverpool man has also failed to have much of an impact in his time with the Hammers, with his only goals coming in the 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest, which has been followed by a number of abject performances by both player and club, which has left Moyes' side in 18th in the Premier League table.

Interestingly, the last time the Hammers did drop to the second tier in 2011, they possessed a striker who would easily be capable of firing West Ham up the table in his prime, a certain Demba Ba.

Would Demba Ba get in the current West Ham team?

The striker would sign for West Ham in January 2011 after seeing a move to Stoke City fall through, with the 25-year-old joining from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim.

He would have an instant impact at Upton Park and certainly did his part in trying to keep Avram Grant's side in the Premier League, firing in seven goals in just 12 top-flight appearances.

When West Ham needed a performance most in the penultimate game of the season, he stepped up with two goals away at Wigan Athletic, only for the Hammers to throw away their two-goal lead and ensure that they would finish bottom.

He would understandably leave for Newcastle United in the summer and went on to have a "sensational" - as labelled by Keith Costigan - career with the Toon and later Chelsea in the Premier League, hitting 43 goals and 11 assists in 99 top-flight appearances, before finishing his playing days in Turkey and finally Switzerland.

Although he wasn't able to keep the Hammers up at the time, there is no doubt that a prime Ba would thrive with the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma and Lucas Paqueta behind him, so Moyes could definitely have used a player of his quality right now.