FORMER Super Eagles targetman Emmanuel Emenike looks set to join the list of Nigerians in the English Premier League after West Ham chairman David Sullivan revealed that the club intends to sign him on loan this month until the end of the season.
Emenike, 28, was until earlier this month playing for United Arab Emirates club El-Ain, who he was loaned to by Turkish giants Fernebahche. However, Emenike has failed to show the same goal scoring form that shot him to fame and has been sent back to his parent club, who will now loan him to West Ham.
Slaven Bilic, the West Ham manager is very familiar with Emenike having worked in Turkey himself where he was head coach of Fernebahce rivals Besiktas. Hammers co-owner David Sullivan has revealed that the club was interested in Emenike, who had been playing in a strange league.
Mr Sullivan said: "There’s a possibility that a striker will come in on loan, with the option to buy, within the next seven days. He’s an overseas striker,”
“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe it and I can’t tell you which league because then you’ll know exactly who it is. We are signing from a very strange league but he has played in higher leagues.”
Emenike’s career has been on a downward trajectory ever since he returned to Turkey to don the colours of Istanbul giants Fernebahce after spending a season at Russian Premier League outfit Spartak Moscow. After scoring just four goals in 22 appearances, the Yellow Canaries sent him on a season-long loan to Al-Ain at the beginning of last season.
In Dubai, however, Emenike only hit the back of the net nine times in 15 games, which el Ain considered not good enough for a player of his calibre. In 2013, Emenike was the leading goalscorer during the African Nations Cup, leading Nigeria to victory in the tournament, part of what has prompted Bilic to target him, given the Hammers current striker crisis.
West Ham, who are chasing a place in Europe, have been hit by injuries to Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll, leaving the club with just Nikica Jelavic as its only out-and-out senior striker. As a result, the Hammers will initially take Emenike on loan until the end of the season before reassessing its options in the summer.
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