Go away Leicester City, West Ham United doesn’t want Islam Slimani.

Let’s just get one bit of business out of the way before we dive into this article. I want to be clear about this so I’m giving the statement it’s very own line and bolding.

If you’re not good enough to play for Leicester City, you’re absolutely not good enough to grace London Stadium unless it’s in an away kit.

Everyone’s favorite “In The Know”, ExWHUEmployee, has stated the interest in Islam Slimani is not going away and remains a viable option for the board should other routes fail to transpire. This isn’t surprising given what we’ve heard regarding our main striking targets. Olivier Giroud is most likely staying at Arsenal despite heavy interest from West Ham United and France’s Marseille. Javier Hernandez, aka Chicharito, is demanding wages reported as high as £150,000 a week. The latest Kelechi Iheanacho news has him linked with Spurs in a deal that would involve Tottenham Hotspur’s Kyle Walker. Andre Gray is still a thing but most fans wouldn’t be wowed if Twitter is any indication of the current level of excitement.

The shotgun approach to David Sullivan’s transfer policy has been the center of controversy for quite some time. This is the same approach that left the Hammers with only two viable striking options in Simone Zaza and Jonathan Calleri, only after exhausting every other option that included playing Michail Antonio as a centre forward. When the board decided Zaza was not worth the pounds it would require to keep him on the roster, we all went to church every Sunday to pray for the health of Andy Carroll.

Let’s play along for a bit. What do we get with Slimani? Well, for one, we get a 28 year old Algerian international who does have a proven success track when he was with Sporting CP. His 2015/2016 campaign was by far his most successful where he amassed 31 goals in 33 appearances. That campaign led to his transfer to former Premier League champions Leicester City, a club record of £28 million. Clearly, Leicester believed in Slimani’s ability.

However, adjusting to life in the Premier League proved to be difficult and more demanding than the Algerian anticipated. 8 goals in 28 appearances has led to the Foxes shopping around their record-breaking acquisition.

So no, we don’t want your sloppy seconds Leicester. We’re sorry you overpaid for a one-season wonder from Primeira Liga.

Personally, I’d rather take a chance on Toni Martinez.