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West Ham’s opening bid for striker Troy Parrott was turned down by his parent club yesterday as the Hammers finally stepped in to act on their lack of goal scoring options up front. Taty and Pablo have the energy, but at present appear like a sputtering two cylinder engine with only one of the two ‘pots’ firing correctly. The Argentine front man has proven already his ability to score goals for fun at this level but 46 games is a long season and without options – Callum Wilson having departed – relying on Pablo Felipe looks a big banana skin. As reported yesterday AZ Alkmaar rejected the Hammers opening bid and the expectation seemed to be that there’d be a wide gulf between the two sides with the Dutch side holding out for €25 million for their striker. Will West Ham be prepared to show real ambition and get the Parrott deal done? However the suggestion this morning from fourfourtwo.com is that the goal posts may be much closer – and therefore within West Ham’s reach, should they so choose: “West Ham United have discovered the steep cost required to land primary attacking target Troy Parrott.Dutch side AZ Alkmaar are reportedly looking for a near-Championship-record fee of €20 million (£17 million) for Irish international Parrott. According to Sky Sports, the Eredivisie outfit have rejected an opening proposal from the Hammers. As per reports in the Netherlands, the AZ hierarchy are adamant they will not sanction the departure of the 24-year-old unless their full valuation is met.” £17 million does not appear ‘steep’ (when you’ve banked £155m) for a Pablo upgrade that could be the difference between promotion or play off peril for West Ham. But if it is £20 million – incidentally the same price that the Hammers paid for Pablo in the winter – is that so excessive for a club aspiring to carry all before it in the Championship this season? If thats the real price for a decent goal scorer then it is surely time to bite the bullet and get the deal done. Unless all of the cash brought in this summer has disappeared to balance the books, in which case the Hammers are in a whole heap of trouble. Actions speak louder than words: The next 48 hours should tell us whether there is indeed real ambition at our club (As Kretinsky promised back in June): 50,000 season ticket holders have bought-in, but as yet the Irons have ‘invested’ nothing – other than a paltry £7 million in their squad – to be fit for purpose in the Championship. If the 39 – almost 40 – year old Jamie Vardy should arrive in place of a ‘paid’ signing then that will indeed, speak for itself.