West Ham are set to snuff out interest from Brighton to land Aodhan Doherty.
The 17-year-old currently plays for Linfield in the NIFL Irish Premiership – the highest level of the Irish League.
David Moyes’ side are now thought to be the frontrunners to land the youngster’s signature, with Footballinsider reporting that they have beaten overs, such as the Seagulls and Everton, to the punch.
It’s not detailed if any bid will be, though it’s believed that the player has already been training over with the East London side.
The youngster has been impressing for his current side, leading to several Premier League outfits wanting to secure his signing.
𝗢𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 ✍🏻
Linfield are delighted to confirm that Aodhan Doherty has signed as a full time professional until the end of 25/26 season.
“Doc” graduates from the Linfield Academy & despite significant interest has put pen to paper, ensuring that he will… pic.twitter.com/VwtjgeAYHn
— Linfield FC (@OfficialBlues) September 26, 2023
It comes after Michail Antonio said that he believes Jarrod Bowen has the qualities to become a striker for West Ham.
Bowen has scored nine goals in all competitions so far this season, and seven of those goals have come from the flank.
What did Antonio say about Bowen?
“I think he has got the ability to do it,” Antonio told The Footballer’s Football Podcast. “He has got the qualities of a striker.
“He’s strong, he’s good on the ball, can come in deep, can collect it and he scores goals. I think he will probably end up [as a striker] because of his nouse to always be in the right position and know where to be in the field and in the box.
“I don’t think he enjoys playing there right now as he doesn’t get the ball as much as he did out wide. When you’re playing centre-forward, you have two centre-halves constantly at your side, whereas when you are out wide you can drift into places and be unseen.”
Newcastle’s Callum Wilson added: “I would say Jarrod doesn’t need to play striker. His best position for me is probably out wide or if he went into the number 10 if they changed formation.
“Having a striker like Mikey who has a bit of a bull-in-a-China-shop vibe takes defenders away so it creates more space for Jarrod to go unnoticed and enter the box.”
