As we all know, with under a month to go until the 2019/2020 season gets underway, the striker situation at West Ham United is far from ideal.
Just two senior strikers remain in the current squad after the forward overhaul Manuel Pellegrini and Mario Husillos have been overseeing so far in the summer transfer window.
Hammers fans will be familiar with the string of attacking targets that are constantly mentioned in the rumour columns, some of which the club have already tried and failed to lure to east London in the past few weeks, with the latest being Maxi Gomez.
Other names some Hammers are probably sick of hearing by now include Salomon Rondon, Callum Wilson and Moussa Marega – and the club don’t seem to be any closer to signing any of them than they were at the start of the window.
However, in the past couple of days, a new and unlikely name has emerged in the West Ham centre-forward rumour mill.
That is Gonzalo Higuain, one of the most reputable strikers in Europe over the last five-to-ten years, and a season-long loan deal from his current side AC Milan is being proposed by the club.
But we must make sure that we’re not falling in love with this famous striker’s reputation and trying to sign him for his name, as there are reasons why Husillos and co. shouldn’t pursue this deal.
This summer isn’t just about finding strikers, it’s about finding strikers who are going to be able to score goals consistently in the Premier League this season.
What’s the point in going out and panic-buying strikers if they’re not going to be able to do this?
Of course, no forward is ever guaranteed to deliver goals on a consistent basis when they move to a new team but we must consider the fact that Higuain is now 31-years-old and was only able to deliver five top-flight goals for Chelsea in the second half of last season.
Such an underwhelming record for Chelsea should be enough to convince West Ham that Higuain may not be an effective solution to the current striker crisis.
