Leyton Orient’s star man, Dom Ballard, is attracting interest from Championship sides and a European side on the back of a fantastic season.
21-year-old Ballard finished last season as League One’s top goalscorer with 23 goals for Orient.
His goals played a pivotal role in his side avoiding relegation to League Two.
Understandably, on the back of that outstanding goal return at his young age, teams are being linked with a move for Ballard this summer.
Werder Bremen and West Ham Want Dom Ballard
The Daily Mail have reported that West Ham United and German side Werder Bremen are both weighing up a move for the young forward.
Those two aren’t the only sides that might be putting a bid in for Ballard, though.
The Daily Mail and Sky Sports have confirmed that Swansea City and Bristol City are also interested.
Just how much any club will have to pay for Ballard is yet to be known, with the Daily Mail reporting that Southampton, who he left last summer, do have a sell-on clause.
Outstanding Season at Leyton Orient
After failing to break through at Southampton and several loans, Ballard joined Leyton Orient on deadline day last summer.
Since making the move, he has been in fantastic form, proving Orient were right to take a gamble on him.
He ended the campaign with 23 goals and an average Sofascore rating of 6.94. Ballard averaged 2.3 shots per game, one shot on target per game, and 0.6 goals per game.
That goal return likely came as a surprise to many, given his prior seasons. In the 2024/25 season, Ballard was on loan at Cambridge United and scored just three goals in 35 League One appearances.
West Ham’s Poor Record with Strikers
Ballard might be wary of a move to West Ham, given their poor record with strikers in recent seasons.
In 2024, the Sportsman shared a long list of strikers the Hammers have signed since 2010. It’s a list of players who struggled at the club and shows the struggles the club have had finding a striker to lead their line consistently.
👀 Here’s a list of EVERY forward signed by West Ham since 2010:
– Benni McCarthy
– Mido
– Ilan
– Pablo Barrera
– Frederic Piquionne
– Victor Obinna
– Demba Ba
– Robbie Keane
– John Carew
– Sam Baldock
– Brian Montenegro
– Joe Dixon
– Nicky Maynard
– Ricardo Vaz Te
– Modibo… pic.twitter.com/6Ymuc4pTl3— The Sportsman (@TheSportsman) August 5, 2024
Michail Antonio is the exception to that, but he initially played at fullback for the Hammers.
The pressure would be on Ballard to break that curse.
Is Ballard Ready for the Move Up?
The jump to the Championship is difficult for any player. But when you’re doing it on the back of a high goal-scoring campaign, with a potentially large transfer fee on your back, it becomes even more difficult.
Ballard has the added intrigue around him, given that he has only really had one high goal-scoring campaign, which might make some fans wonder if it was just a one-time thing.
He does have time on his side, and playing with players of higher quality each week could bring even more out of him. Although he will, of course, be up against higher-quality players each week.
A move to Europe will likely be intriguing to him.
We’ve seen in recent years players make similar moves, especially to Germany, and it’s paid off for them.
Experiencing a different culture, style of play, and going out of your comfort zone can do great things for a player as they are developing.
Making sure his next club is the right one is crucial for Ballard.
