Javier Hernandez is reportedly close to joining West Ham. The Mexican striker – affectionately known as Chicharito – has been set to leave Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen all summer and a number of suitors have been rumoured.

The diminutive Mexican was one of the bargains of recent times for Manchester United when signed by Alex Ferguson, but he was discarded by Louis van Gaal that led to his transfer to Leverkusen.

His super-sub status at Old Trafford was not enough, and who can blame him with the goal scoring record he boasted? Few players around Europe were as clinical as Hernandez and few delivered as reliably, but his all-round game was still seen to be lacking in an era where the demands of a striker changed dramatically.
Jose Mourinho has since spoken out about van Gaal’s decision to move Hernandez on, and how the Red Devils could have benefitted from his smart movement and finishing.

Pastures New

Mourinho, though, has been nowhere to be seen as Hernandez’s move to West Ham has eked closer. Chelsea have sporadically been mentioned, but Europe’s top clubs have seemingly passed on the Mexican. A superb record at Manchester United and goals in an underperforming Bayer Leverkusen have not been enough to catch the eye, and West Ham are the beneficiaries.

Andy Carroll’s long relationship with the treatroom rooms and the failing of alternative striker signings has left the Irons once again desperate for a steadfast source of goals. Slaven Bilic is on his way to collating one of the league’s strongest squads, but the talents of Andre Ayew, Cheikhou Kouyate, Manuel Lanzini and others will be limited again if chance conversion is not improved upon.

Hernandez is the final piece in a jigsaw that was briefly dismantled last season at the London Stadium. The Dimitri Payet chaos hurt a team that was ready to make a place in the top eight of the Premier League their own.

Win Now Mode

The other pieces added to an increasingly impressive – and equally ambitious – jigsaw have been similarly significant. Joe Hart’s arrival on loan is a clear upgrade, Pablo Zabaleta offers a wealth of experience and the incoming Marko Arnautovic brings Premier League guarantee. The one thing they have in common, though, is age. Arnautovic is 28, Zabaleta is 32, Hart is 30 and Chicharito is 29.

While resale value and Premier League shelf life will play a large part in many an acquisition, West Ham have made a clear move to strengthen their roster for the coming season. While they are far from decline, they are buying these players at their peak – with the exception of Zabaleta.

The constructing of a footballing project is perhaps far-fetched, but the decision to spend extravagantly on players who are unlikely to recoup any such fee again does suggest a club willing to attack in the current transfer market. Not to mention a hefty fee just for taking Hart on loan.

Fitness has seldom been an issue for the quartet, but – the three outfielders particularly – are approaching the age where injuries can niggle, and can restrict a player’s usability.

Changing Times

For the reported fee of £13 million, West Ham have the bargain of the summer. Hernandez was deemed surplus at Manchester United because of his limitations, but hindsight will see us asking why England’s top six did not look towards Leverkusen for this gem.

His age plays little part for West Ham at this stage, too. They are in dire of a forward, and signing the Mexican is a coup of the highest order.

The passing on Hernandez from the elite sides, though, is a further sign of the way our expectations of forwards have changed. The outright poachers are no longer desirable, almost regardless of the goal scoring numbers they post throughout a season. So much more is wanted from a centre-forward and, despite his unquestionable worth, it makes Hernandez little more than a ‘plan B’ for a truly top club.

That does little to detract from how significant this signing will be for a West Ham side who have pursued half of Europe’s strikers in the last 18 months. Hernandez is a player to enjoy, and the Premier League is lucky to have him back.

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