Ex-Sunderland striker Kevin Philips has encouraged West Ham United to sign Nigeria and Watford attacker Emmanuel Dennis to help reduce the pressure on Michail Antonio at the club.
The Super Eagles attacker scored 10 goals and provided six assists for the Hornets in 33 Premier League matches this season, but his contributions could not help the club from being relegated.
However, he is still contracted to the club until 2026, but Philips believes he can score 15 to 20 goals for the Hammers if they bring him on board.
Antonio has featured for the Londoners 35 times in the English top-tier, scoring nine goals and assisting eight times in the process.
"West Ham are in desperate need of a striker this summer," the now 48-year-old former England striker told Football Insider.
"They can’t rely on Michail Antonio all season again. A striker is a real priority, certainly. He [Dennis] could be one of these shrewd signings who can end up getting you 15-20 goals a season.
"He’s going to be playing in a more creative, better side if he goes to West Ham. All of a sudden, he goes from a £20million player to a £40million player.
"I think it’s a gamble worth taking. He’s shown he can score a variety of goals at this level."
Watford will be ending their campaign in the top tier on Sunday afternoon without the services of the injured Dennis.
The 24-year-old West African started his football career at Kwara Football Academy Ilorin and was there from 2010 to 2016.
He then joined Zorya Luhansk for a year and later on moved to Club Brugge. He has also played for Bundesliga outfit FC Koln before joining the English side at the beginning of the season.
Dennis has also represented the Nigeria U23 team before being promoted to the Super Eagles in 2019. He has so far played five matches for them.
