Thursday, March 28, 2024

Javier Hernandez would be a top signing for West Ham

West Ham are reportedly in talks to sign Bayer Leverkusen striker Javier Hernandez

According to reports from Sky Sports, West Ham are in talks to sign Bayer Leverkusen striker Javier Hernandez.

The Mexico international has a release clause of just £13million at Bayer and he would be a bargain buy at that price.

The Hammers would be pulling off something of a coup if they did manage to get this deal over the line, as ‘Chicharito’ is a very good striker.

West Ham needed a striker a long time

West Ham have suffered some terrible luck when it comes to strikers in recent years. They brought Andy Carroll on themselves, as they knew he was injury prone. However, last summer’s coup of signing Simone Zaza went horribly wrong.

The Italian’s loan spell from Juventus was short-lived. The Italian international moved on in January to Valencia after failing to find the net for the Hammers.

Then there are the likes of Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia, who have scored goals but have left everybody at the club unconvinced by their ability to find the net on a regular basis.

The Hammers have reportedly been interested in a number of strikers this summer, most notably Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud, Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Chelsea’s Michy Batshuayi.

However, if the Hammers settle on signing Hernandez, he could prove to be one of the signings of the summer from a Premier League club.

Hernandez is a poacher

The 29-year-old has been prolific for Bayer Leverkusen since joining the German outfit from Manchester United two summers ago, scoring 39 times.

Hernandez struggled to nail down a regular starting spot at United. However, he was highly rated by most connected with the Manchester club. The problem Hernandez had at Old Trafford was that he was labelled a super-sub, who made more of an impact from the bench than when starting a game.

He scored 59 goals and produced 29 assists in 158 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions. Considering so many of his United appearances came off the bench that is an impressive record.

Hernandez is a goal poacher. If given the right service, the diminutive striker will score goals at any level. Bayer Leverkusen have not enjoyed the best of times in recent seasons, yet the striker has still been on the scoresheet on a regular basis.

West Ham have been missing his sort of predatory skills for a good while. When the Hammers finished seventh in the league, French star Dimitri Payet was the star and his presence compensated for Slaven Bilic’s side not having a prolific striker. However, the Hammers can no longer call on Payet ability, so must now sign a quality striker.

West Ham need to be targeting top-half next season

West Ham enjoyed a topsy-turvy campaign last season and finished 11th in Premier League table. However, Bilic’s side only finished outside the top-ten on goal difference, though.

Next season a top-ten finish and a more stable campaign must be the Hammers main aim. Bilic’s side are currently odds of 11/8 to finish in the top half of the table in the new campaign.

For a club of West Ham’s middling stature in the Premier League, signing a player of the calibre of Javier Hernandez will be a major boost. There are few clubs in that middle group of clubs that could attract a player of Hernandez’s ability.

I am surprised the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal or even Everton have not made a move for the Mexican striker this summer. The 29-year-old is a goalscoring and has Premier League experience.

He will not cost and arm and a leg either. The Mexican international seems like the perfect signing for most clubs in the English top-flight, so kudos to West Ham for spotting the potential for a deal.

If the deal comes off for West Ham, I have no doubts that Javier Hernandez is exactly what the Hammers need to enjoy a successful campaign next season.

Will West Ham clinch a deal for Javier Hernandez?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Nugent


David is a freelance football writer with nearly a decade of experience writing about the beautiful game. The experienced writer has written for over a dozen websites and also an international soccer magazine offline.
Arguably his best work has come as an editorial writer for Soccernews, sharing his good, bad and ugly opinions on the world’s favourite sport. During David’s writing career he has written editorials, betting previews, match previews, banter, news and opinion pieces.

SHARE OR COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

WE RECOMMEND

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This field is required *

Join the conversation!

or Register

Live Scores

advertisement

Betting Guide Advertisement

advertisement

Become a Writer
More More
Top