West Ham board support me in striker search, says manager David Moyes

The Hammers moved up to seventh in the table on Tuesday night

David Moyes insists he has the full backing of the West Ham board as he continues his search for a striker.

The Hammers have been frustrated in the transfer market so far having had a bid for Sevilla's Youssef En-Nesyri knocked back, while interest in Boulaye Dia of Reims and Montpellier's Gaetan Laborde has yet to bear fruit.

Bournemouth's Joshua King and Adam Armstrong of Blackburn are also on Moyes' radar as he attempts to replace record signing Sebastien Haller, who was sold to Ajax for £20million.

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Owners David Sullivan and David Gold sanctioned some major spending under previous manager Manuel Pellegrini, but Moyes is demanding more bang for their bucks this month.

"The board have backed me greatly since I have been here, anything I have really asked for," said Moyes.

"But I also know I am not someone who is going to go and ask for money in a period of time in football where wages can't be paid.

"Do I want a top striker? I certainly do, I really do, to help us. But I am also mindful that football clubs, a lot of them are on the verge of going bust and I have got to make sure that I do things correctly.

"I think we are in a difficult period. January often hasn't been that good a month. It was good for us last year, so trying to get the right player is not an easy thing.

"But I have got to say the board has definitely tried to support me and back me in getting players in."

West Ham made it four wins out of four in 2021 on Tuesday night with a 2-1 Premier League victory over West Brom.

Matheus Pereira thought he had earned the relegation-threatened Baggies a point when he cancelled out Jarrod Bowen's opener but Michail Antonio, currently West Ham's only recognised striker, scored the winner.

Albion defender Kyle Bartley told the club website: "There's a sense of disappointment because we feel like we deserved to get the draw, but at this level any mistakes are costly.

"After the Wolves game we were confident of getting a result. We're disappointed not to, but the effort was there and I think it was a good performance."

PA