There may be the best part of two months left of the summer transfer window, but West Ham fans can be forgiven for feeling a familiar sense of dread at the news that neither Kelechi Iheanacho or Olivier Giroud are expected to move to the London Stadium.

Co-owner David Gold has been vocal in his desire to bring proven firepower to the club this summer, and therefore faces a backlash from supporters should he not attract the players of the desired quality.

It would be unfair to aim criticism at the club hierarchy for missing out on Iheanacho, who now looks Leicester City-bound, with the club having chosen to end their pursuit in the Manchester City striker.

Their interest in 30-year old Arsenal striker Giroud remains very much alive, but club officials are not optimistic of convincing the Frenchman to make the short move, with Ligue 1 side Marseille keen to bring the target man back to his home country.

Jermain Defoe, Scott Hogan, Michy Batshuayi, Carlos Bacca, Wilfried Bony, Moussa Dembele, Alexandre Lacazette, Carlos Tevez and Jamie Vardy have all been linked to the club in the past 12 months in what have proven to be unsuccessful chases.

Their need for frontmen is well documented and urgent. Both Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll are unreliable due to their proneness to injury, and young Ashley Fletcher is not ready to be shouldered with the responsibility of goals.

Andre Gray currently looks the deal most likely to complete, and some Hammers fans have expressed their disappointment at being linked to the Burnley striker having been promised top-level talent. This looks harsh as, for a few reasons, Gray could well be a shrewd acquisition.

His nine Premier League goals from 26 starts is a fair return for a team who created the third fewest chances last season. He averaged a goal every 252 minutes which, translated over the course of a season, equates to just under 14 goals.

He is also tactically flexible, able to both play as the runner off an Andy Carroll-type striker, as he has with Sam Vokes and Burnley, and play the lone role on the shoulder of the last defender.

Given the dynamic talents of both Manuel Lanzini and Andre Ayew, Gray would likely get the chances he craves to make the most of his fine finishing ability.

Chelsea’s Batshuayi remains a target but, with Antonio Conte seemingly missing out on his main target Romelu Lukaku, whether a deal could be completed for the Belgian imminently is yet to be seen.

West Ham’s recent strategy of looking overseas for goal scorers has proven catastrophic. Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Simone Zaza have not plugged a hole that has been gaping for some time.

An unwillingness to agree to unfavourable terms in the Iheanacho deal, and a pursuit of a solid if unspectacular striker in Gray are signs that West Ham may be maturing in the transfer market.

They may not sign the household names that Hammers fans desire, but the strategy will likely bear more fruit than the scatter-gun philosophy that preceded it.