Since the arrival of Manuel Pellegrini, West Ham have been on an upwards arc. It wasn’t easy at the start of the season, but over the last few months the Hammers have really found their feet.
At the foundation of that success has been Pellegrini’s philosophy of prioritising the utilisation of young players. Declan Rice has been a key example of that, but he’s not the only youngster featuring within the team every week, whilst there are others, like Ben Johnson, that will surely be more involved over the next year or two.
The fact that we have had so much success with younger players this season, then, makes our latest transfer target baffling to say the least. Indeed, according to the Northern Echo, West Ham are interested in a move for Salomon Rondon, and should Newcastle not sign him at the end of his loan spell, the Hammers could move in.
Now, make no mistake, Rondon is a great player. He’s been a focal point within the Newcastle first team, and there’s no denying the importance of his goals and strength in their attack.
However, for us, a move for him makes no sense. At 29-years-old, he’s not a young player by any means, and best case scenario, he’d only be able to put in solid performances for a few years. With a view towards the future, that wouldn’t make him a smart signing.
Furthermore, a deal for him makes even less sense when you consider what we’ve already got. Between Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez, we’ve got enough experienced attackers to choose from, and so Rondon wouldn’t bring anything unique.
All this, combined with a reported likely £16 million-plus price tag, means that it’s hard to see a deal for Rondon making sense for West Ham.
Thoughts?
