What a strange week it’s been to be Mauro Zarate. This week, Italian agent Luis Ruzzi made a statement to Italian media as Zarate’s agent, and expressed Zarate’s unhappiness at West Ham and his willingness to move to a new club. Ruzzi stated that ‘At West Ham he plays behind the strikers and that is not his position. He is a centre-forward and if there is a team out there willing to let him play in his natural role, then we will be very happy to consider it.”
It was not a pleasant statement for West Ham fans to hear. It’s not nice to hear players express negativity towards a club (and the fans) that pay their wages. But, as it turns out, it may not even have been true.
Mauro Zarate wasted no time responding to the allegations, tweeting that “According to recent news articles i would like to inform that I have no agent and I never said that I wanted to leave West Ham.” This was then followed up by a few quotes which offered slightly mixed, but largely positive indications of him staying at West Ham including “If that would happen it would be because a joint decision of the club and myself” and ‘The most important thing is that West Ham will keep progressing. The manager is doing a great job and has my full support! Come on you irons!”
What a strange thing to have to clarify – and why would someone pretend to be Zarate’s agent if he wasn’t? I can now add the Mauro Zarate situation to my list of things that confuse me (also: radios.) So what is going on with Mauro Zarate?
Truthfully, I wouldn’t blame the guy too much if he did want to leave. He was brought in to West Ham when we thought he’d be our big-deal striker signing, and yet, to date, he’s not had much time on the pitch. Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho are both tremendous players, and deserving of their starting positions, yet it must frustrate Zarate to have a goal to his name in the Premier League after four stints on the pitch (none of them for 90 minutes, mind) and to know that he’s also behind Carlton Cole (who is admittedly having a good season) and Andy Carroll, who is perched to return to competition for a first team place (and who looked hungry as hell against Aston Villa during his limited time run.)
There’s no way Zarate came to Upton Park expecting such limited time on the pitch – and so I can see why reports that he may want out could be true. But equally, the man signed a three year contract, and I’d like to see him fight for his place. We’re heading into winter, when our injuries normally bring us to our knees, and that may be the time we turn to Zarate to be the goal-scoring hero we thought we’d signed early in the summer.
I’m not sure what’s going through Zarate’s head right now, and honestly, it is really weird that someone would pretend to be his agent and randomly try to pitch a move for him to a different club – something doesn’t seem quite right there – but I think Zarate has a lot to offer, and I hope he puts in the work he needs to make his time at West Ham work for him.
What do you make of the Zarate transfer rumour and subsequent clarification? Is there a space at West Ham for him? Do let us know below
I reckon there are a lot of West Ham players who are likely to get pissed off once they realise they’re behind Nolan in the pecking order, Morrison allegedly said so and Zarate could be another example. We’ve seen glimpses of what he can do in a handful of appearances and we all know what Nolan offers – very little. This situation will not change whilst Allardyce remains at the helm.
I thought Zarate paid off his own contract at his previous Club to come sign for us, that doesn’t sound like someone who has an Agent , to me.
He is his own man, strange I know in these times, but I believe what he says simply because he paid his Club to leave for West Ham.
He will be needed during the African Nations as we will lose Sakho, Song & Kouate, and I believe he is in front of Carlton Cole in the pecking order as he is a lively, mobile player, unlike the statuest Cole who couldn,t beat my little grandaughter in a 100yd dash if his life depended on it, he is slow and cumbersome and I have no idea why he is still with us.
COYI
I spat my tea out after reading he’s having a good season, id love to know how that’s defined!
If West Ham want to come through the Winter / Christmas period unscathed and still be in the top Six at the end of February , then Zarate is a must keep player . It does rather look like we could have a Carrol / Zarate front two for a period . Not a bad thing when you look at it . Our run in to the Crazy period starts next week away to Everton . Hopefully we can have a relatively injury free Three months . That would certainly be a novelty and a welcomed change of fortune .
Come on you Hammers .