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West Ham hoping “little” striker serves as big upgrade

By Rucker Haringey

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JULY 02: Javier Hernandez of Mexico celebrates his sides first goal during the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 Play-Off for Third Place between Portugal and Mexico at Spartak Stadium on July 2, 2017 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JULY 02: Javier Hernandez of Mexico celebrates his sides first goal during the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 Play-Off for Third Place between Portugal and Mexico at Spartak Stadium on July 2, 2017 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images) /
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West Ham are ready to move for Chicharito

Officials at West Ham have grown tired of relying on massive striker Andy Carroll to lead their line. Instead, Slaven Bilic and company are prepared to turn to a”little pea.” to solve their centre forward problems. Chicharito could be just the man to serve as the focal point of the Hammers attack.

Reports from England claim that West Ham can seal a deal for the Mexican star for just £13 million. The former Manchester United forward is in the last year of his deal with Bayer Leverkusen and the Bundesliga club don’t want to lose him for nothing next summer. At 29 years of age they don’t see Chicharito as an integral piece of their long-term future.

West Ham’s difficulties finding a striker mean they’d be happy to accept Chicharito as a stop-gap. Dimitri Payet’s brilliant campaign two seasons ago distracted some from the biggest issue on the Hammers’ roster. The club have tried over and over again to sign big name centre forwards but have come up empty.

Most have snubbed West Ham in the transfer maker while others have arrived at the club and flopped. In an effort to be merciful to the Hammers’ fan base, I won’t recount all their failures in this space.

At this point, the only question is whether or not Chicharito can come in and make an immediate impact for Bilic’s club. While he isn’t a perfect stylistic fit for the Croatian gaffer, he would certainly be an upgrade over the club’s current options. That really isn’t a massive statement, but it does mean he’d help them on the pitch immediately.

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That doesn’t mean I love the move. I’d prefer Bilic to either purchase a younger player or someone better suited to his style of play. He’d much prefer a rough and tumble centre forward in the style of Andy Carroll. Just because the Englishman can’t stay healthy doesn’t mean he isn’t Bilic’s ideal prototype.

The relatively modest price point helps me like the deal, but there’s something else West Ham can do to maximize Chicharito’s effectiveness. At this point of his career, he’d flourish playing next to a more physical striker. It may be a bit too much to ask for West Ham to buy two competent forwards in the same transfer window, but it would help them get the most out of Chicharito. In particular, a partnership between he and rumoured target Olivier Giroud could turn into a deadly combination.

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At the very least, West Ham seem poised to acquire a competent Premier League striker. Chicharito may not be as good as he was during his Manchester United days, but he’s still plenty good enough to help the Hammers.

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