Mauro Zarate- Free transfer from Velez Sarsfield
The Argentine had an excellent season in his home country, scoring an impressive 19 goals in 2013/14 for Velez Sarsfield. At first, rumours circulated that Sam Allardyce was not actually interested in obtaining the services of the Argentinian and that the owners themselves had chosen to sign the player in a hope to bring more attractive, attacking football to Upton Park.
However, Zarate was introduced into the starting eleven very quickly due to the injury to club captain Kevin Nolan. His impact has been immediate, scoring a sublime volley against Crystal Palace in West Ham’s 3-1 win at Selhurst Park.
Zarate is the sort of player West Ham have been missing for many years, he shows a willingness to turn and run at opposing defences. His ability to find space is also something that makes us more of an attacking threat in the final third. With a player showcasing pace and excellent dribbling, West Ham can finally have a player who will link up with a bigger striker up front.
It will be interesting to see how he plays with Andy Carroll once he returns from injury. It is early days at the moment but Mauro Zarate looks like he could be a great success story for the club this season. Having purchased him for nothing, it was a clever signing by the club, using our broad South American network wisely this time.
