West Ham's Andre Ayew sidelined for 'significant' period
West Ham United has been dealt a severe blow with the news that Andre Ayew faces a potentially lengthy layoff after suffering an injury on his debut.
The Ghanaian was signed from Swansea City for a club-record £20.5-million fee last week, but was substituted 35 minutes into his Irons bow Sunday at Chelsea with an issue to his right thigh.
"He has suffered a significant injury and it is imperative that we do not rush to conclusions and we receive the correct diagnosis by consulting top specialists," said the club's head of medical and sports science Stijn Vandenbroucke.
"At this time, it is too early to put a timeframe on his potential return date but Andre is facing a significant rehabilitation period."
Manager Slaven Bilic was scouring the transfer market for attackers for much of the summer, with reported moves for Olympique Lyonnais' Alexandre Lacazette and Carlos Bacca of AC Milan failing to materialise, but the chase appeared to end with Ayew's acquisition. Now, the Croatian boss' efforts to build a team suitable for the marathon of a Premier League season in its new Olympic home has hit another hurdle.
"The best thing we can do as a club is to support Andre through this difficult period," Vandenbroucke continued. "We will keep you updated throughout this process and I am sure he will be come back stronger than ever."
Whether West Ham will be renewing attempts to bolster its strikeforce is unknown, but Jack Sullivan - son of co-owner David and self-elected breaker of club news - said the Stratford outfit was "devastated" and suggested Ayew's problem needed surgery:
We are devastated that Ayew will be out for about 4 month. He needs a surgery
— Jack Sullivan (@jsullivanwhu) August 17, 2016
In Ayew's stead, Andy Carroll, Enner Valencia, and new loanee Jonathan Calleri can provide options up front, but Diafra Sakho is unlikely to be selected given his antics in the wake of rumours he's interesting rival Premier League teams.
West Ham was defeated 2-1 by a late Diego Costa goal on the weekend, and travels to Romania's Astra Giurgiu in a Europa League play-off on Thursday.