West Ham United's recruitment strategy was commendable this summer, splashing their war chest of funds on the likes of James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez.
While that trio of talent arrived with an abundance of quality, the one area that has plagued them for the past few seasons has been the lack of a clinical striker as the Hammers let another window pass them by without filling that void.
To make matters worse, the individual who dealt most of the damage in Sunday's 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Aston Villa, supplying a goal and an assist, was a striker that David Moyes was interested in acquiring in the past.
Did West Ham almost sign Ollie Watkins?
In January 2020, West Ham first exposed their interest in Ollie Watkins, who was plying his trade at Championship side Brentford.
At the time, club record signing Sebastien Haller – who scored just 14 goals for the club – struggled to adapt to the Premier League and Moyes was keen on bolstering his side's attacking options.
Despite interest being shown in the emerging striker, the Bees were reluctant to let go and instead, the Hammers captured Jarrod Bowen from Hull City on deadline day.
While Bowen has grown into an instrumental member of the team, with 46 goals in 168 games to date, Watkins' performance on Sunday was a reminder of what West Ham could have had.
Speaking after the defeat, Moyes revealed [via BirminghamWorld] that they previously tried to sign Villa's chief tormenter, who didn't give Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma a moment to rest on a disappointing afternoon.
He said: “Yeah, we did [make a move for Watkins] when he was at Brentford. He scored a good goal today,”
How good is Ollie Watkins?
The 27-year-old has been transformed into an incredibly lethal striker under the tutelage of Unai Emery.
Through his meticulous man management and tactical expertise, the Spaniard has developed the Englishman into one of the most fearsome forwards in Europe.
Watkins, who was lauded as "unstoppable" by Jamie Carragher, has been directly involved in 27 goals across 33 appearances in the Premier League since Emery's first game in charge (18 goals & nine assists), with only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Manchester City's Erling Haaland contributing more goals in that time.
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The in-form hitman has carried that fine form into this campaign having scored five and supplied a further five assists in the top flight, as well as also bagging the winner against Australia in an international friendly for England.
Watkins' form for club and country is a far cry from how Michail Antonio has operated in the final third.
The 33-year-old powerhouse started the season in promising form, scoring goals in wins over Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion, but the Jamaican international arrived into Sunday's game having not scored in his previous five league games – with that barren run continuing.
While the form of Antonio – who netted just five league goals last season – is declining, Watkins continues to soar impressively and according to journalist Pete O'Rourke, who spoke to Football FanCast previously, the Villa marksman is now believed to be valued at a whopping £70m.
West Ham let the opportunity to capture one of Europe's hottest strikers pass them by and that is news that will leave supporters pulling their hair out.
