They face Sampdoria at Upton Park as their final preparation on Saturday

Hammers have yet to win any of their six pre season games so far

He says pre season 'hasn't gone quite as planned'

Chairman David Gold admits they have offers in for 'three or four strikers'

Peter Crouch, Hugo Almeida and Samuel Eto'o are all targets for West Ham

Andy Carroll is already out until December with a serious ankle injury

He will miss games against Tottenham and Crystal Palace

Ecuador World Cup star is not yet fit enough to play in the Premier League

West Ham will be without new signing Enner Valencia for their opening two matches of the season.

The news comes as afresh blow to the Hammers following the serious ankle injury to record signing Andy Carroll who is out until December.

The Ecuador forward will miss opening clashes with London rivals Tottenham and Crystal Palace.

Missing list: Enner Valencia won't be fit for the early games against Tottenham and Crystal Palace

Down and out: West Ham are already without Andy Carroll until December with an ankle problem

Joint chairman David Sullivan told the club’s website: ‘The player we’ve spent the most money on, Enner Valencia, is our big summer signing and he is about two or three weeks away from being able to play, because he was at the World Cup,’

‘He’s now in full training but I think the earliest he’ll play is in the Capital One Cup match, so it’ll be exciting for people to see him make his debut in that match.’

Sullivan has also revealed the club have made a number of offers for strikers as they target cover for the injury-enforced absence of Carroll.

Stoke’s Peter Crouch is the Hammers’ main target, but reports state that interest has also been shown in Hugo Almeida of Besiktas, while Samuel Eto’o has also been linked with a move to Upton Park.

Carroll has been ruled out until November after sustaining an ankle injury during the pre-season tour to New Zealand.

Target: Peter Crouch is the No 1 preferred striking signing for West Ham as the season begins

Still got it: Samuel Eto'o is another consideration after he enjoyed a productive spell at Chelsea

Wildcard: Hugo Almeida might be one to consider for the Hammers and Sam Allardyce

'We’ve got offers in for three or four strikers - one in England, three abroad - and we just hope to land one of them,' Sullivan told the club’s official website.

'We do need to sign another player. We have worked 24/7 all summer and we still want to get at least one more striker in. It’s been very, very tough.

'We’re pleased with the players we’ve got - players with massive potential for the future - but we know there aren’t enough goals in the team at the moment.

'Pre-season hasn’t gone quite as planned. The worst thing is that we picked up injuries, in particular to Andy Carroll who is out for four months and makes a huge difference to us.'