Last week West Ham United officially announced the signing of Mexican international, Javier Hernández. The Mexican joins West Ham from Bayern Leverkusen for a measly fee of £16m. The 29-year old instantly becomes the top earner at the club, taking home a weekly wage packet of £140,000.
The departure of Dimitri Payet in January this year left a gaping hole at the Olympic Stadium. Slaven Bilić and his men had lost their star player, but the acquisition of Hernández now fills that void ten times over. The 29-year old a is national icon in his home nation of Mexico; similar status could now follow him in East London.
West Ham finished 11th in the Premier League last season, the reason for their poor finish was cited by their poor goal scoring form. The Hammers only scored 47 goals all campaign, the 10th lowest total in the league. The signing of the Manchester United legend will not only help buck that trend, but it’ll also reverse it completely.
Here’s how Javier Hernández can take West Ham to the next level.
He Has a Proven Track Record
Everywhere he’s gone, Hernández has delivered in front of the net. For both club & country, the 29-year old has scored over 185 goals in his professional career. Javier Hernández is the perfect embodiment of what a clinical poacher should be. All his 59 goals for Manchester United were scored from within the 18-yard box.
In Germany, Chicharito returned 39 goals in 76 appearances for Bayern Leverkusen. Even at the Bernabéu, Hernández was able to score 7 goals in 7 starts. He’s a natural born goalscorer that owns the 5th best minutes to goal ratio in Premier League history. He’s produced the goods in the three hardest leagues in Europe, I know for a fact Lionel Messi can’t say the same.
He Offers Different Style to Andy Carroll
Chicharito is the 33rd striker signed by West Ham co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan. Funnily enough, 20 of those 33 have failed to score 3 or more goals for the club. The most controversial of all those attacking signings was the £15m purchase of Andy Carroll back in 2013. In 114 appearances for West Ham, Andy Carroll has only scored 30 goals. That goal tally looks worse when you consider the club have shaped their philosophy around the Englishman.
For the past few seasons, West Ham have been forced to play a brand of football the locals haven’t wanted. Andy Carroll as the focal point of the attack has encouraged the Hammers to play a more direct style of football, one that involves constant long balls into the box. The arrival of Javier Hernández allows Slaven Bilić to play a more expansive brand of football.
The Mexican is a striker that thrives on playing on the shoulder of the last defender. He always seeks to get in behind defences and run onto through balls. The wide midfielders of West Ham can now rest assured that whether they whip, float or drill a cross into the box, Javier Hernández will get on the end of it.
