The summer transfer business is a lot like London buses for West Ham United. With the signing of Marko Arnautovic, 28, completed for a club record fee of £23m, the Hammers are set to add Javier Hernandez to their squad after Bayer Leverkusen were persuaded to release the former Manchester United striker for a fee of £16m, reports the BBC.
It’s expected that the deal will be completed early next week after the 29-year-old takes a medical on Monday.
Hernandez joins a team which struggled for Premier League goals last season and the Hammers are hoping he brings his shooting boots with him. Despite an 11-match barren spell last season, he still netted 13 times for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. Overall, his time in Germany saw him score 28 goals in 54 league appearances.
He fell from grace when Sir Alex Ferguson retired as Manchester United manager. Under David Moyes, he struggled for goals but that didn’t deter Real Madrid from taking him on a season-long loan. A permanent move to the Bernabeu failed to materialise as he struggled to impose himself in the squad.
Bayer Leverkusen took the risk of signing the Mexican international who has 48 goals in 96 appearances for his country. Hernandez, with a club average of a goal every 2.5 games, is the type of forward West Ham fans will love. Busy and hard-working, if Bilic can ignite his passion for goals again, Chicarito will be money well spent for the east London club.