West Ham are interested in making a loan move for Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuaín, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
While there is a long list of strikers the Hammers are monitoring now Maxi Gómez is out of reach, Higuaín’s name should not be on it.
The loan proposal will reportedly include an option to buy at the end of it, with that becoming an obligation if certain conditions are met – it is believed Juventus want the price for that eventuality to be set at €40 million.
While Higuaín is a fairly big name in football, his time on loan with Chelsea highlight why West Ham should be steering clear of him.
He scored five goals in 13 league starts and one substitute appearance – which isn’t too bad a return – but three of those came against relegated sides, while he failed to score against any team who finished in the top 10.
There are also components of his style which also show why he shouldn’t be picked.
He isn’t very mobile when on the pitch, which meant games could pass him by at times while he was in blue.
Also, his pass success rate was only 77.2% in the Premier League, which perhaps indicates his link-up play wasn’t particularly accurate.
West Ham already have Javier Hernández who thrives in the box, but doesn’t necessarily offer as much in the build-up, it seems a little bit pointless to bring in someone of the same ilk.
The Hammers should be looking at someone who can influence the game in a variety of ways – this would result in Manuel Pellegrini having distinctly different styles of players he could use against certain defences, while also giving the option of having them both on the pitch when in need of a goal at the end of games.
Higuaín is also 31-years-old, so if the clause did lead to West Ham buying him after the loan, that would be a lot of money for someone who probably wouldn’t stay at the top level very long.
There are so many aspects of this proposal which go against what Pellegrini and Mario Husillos have been looking to instil at West Ham.
It would be a massive mistake to bring Higuaín in.
