He has to go…it just hasn’t worked out

By CandH blogger Allen Cummings

While speculation over the possible ‘ins’ during this summer transfer window command most of our attention, the possible ‘outs’ remain an important factor in Manuel Pellegrini’s rebuilding process.

Javier Hernandez has regularly been linked with a move away from the London Stadium, and his recent post, bizarrely on You Tube, seems to underline the fact that we ‘may’ have seen the last of him in a claret and blue shirt. Or have we?

Chicharito has previously been linked with moves to Valencia, Galatasaray, the odd Chinese club and even the MLS in America. But the player himself seems to have his heart set on a return to Mexico, if his posting is to be believed. And therein lies the problem.

 Hernandez cost us a reported £16m when he joined from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2017 – and since then he’s been on wages reported to be in the region of £130k per week.

He’s unlikely to be able to command that sort of money back in his home country – especially a player who has just entered his 32nd year. Given also that any buying club would have to meet our valuation of the player, expected to be in the region of £8m – £10m – not insignificant, but still quite a hit for us to take after just a couple of years.

So are the hopes of a move back home, to a country whose club’s aren’t exactly awash with money, a genuine prospect? There have to be grave doubts.

 What worries me is Hernandez comment that while his ‘people’ are searching for a possible club…”If not I will stay with West Ham easy…I have one year left…”. How many of us wouldn’t be happy to hang around for a year on £130k a week?

That money, and whatever transfer fee we might be able to get for Chicharito, will be lost to the manager and lost to his transfer budget if Hernandez hangs around.

Hernandez’s arrival was greeted almost unanimously with open arms two years ago. A sign the club were thinking ‘big’ by purchasing a genuine world class striker. But it just hasn’t worked out the way we’d hoped. 15 goals in 53 league appearances, 23 of which were as a sub – a ratio of one goal every 3.5 games, or 0.29 goals per game.

Not exactly what we were hoping for. Factor in his wages for two years, amounting to just over £13.5m – and the question ‘have we had value for money’ has to be a resounding NO! A further year on that salary will add another £6.7m to the total. That has to be unsustainable.

 It’s clear that Hernandez departure this summer has to be as much a priority as any new arrival!