OPINION
West Ham must swoop for West Bromwich Albion attacker Jay Rodriguez as the proven Premier League performer would be able to have a positive impact at the London Stadium.
Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett, via his personal Twitter, previously claimed in May that the Hammers were monitoring the 28-year-old’s situation following the Baggies’ relegation to the Championship.
#burnleyfc and #afcb are interested in signing Jay Rodriguez from #wbafc, I’ve been told. #palace and #whufc also monitoring the situation. But Albion won’t sell him on the cheap – 3yrs left on contract. I expect they’d want £20m+ for him. Scored 11 times in a relegated team.
— Rob Dorsett (@RobDorsettSky) May 30, 2018
There’s been no further update on the Hammers’ pursuit and it seems that the London club are no longer keen on his services based on this.
The Hammers Premier League rivals Burnley, according to the Daily Mirror’s Live Transfer Blog (Friday, 12:03), are determined to sign Rodriguez as well as his teammate Craig Dawson.
However the Hammers must reignite their interest and actually swoop for Rodriguez this time around as the player has all the tools to be a worthwhile signing this summer or the club will regret seeing him at Turf Moor if Sean Dyche successfully gets his man.
The 28-year-old scored 11 goals in 42 outings despite featuring in a struggling WBA side with seven of his goals even coming in the Premier League.
Rodriguez is a proven Premier League talent having made a whopping 141 appearances in England’s top-flight and would instantly settle in to life at the London Stadium for this reason.
Pellegrini’s priority this summer may not be to sign a new forward but after being linked by Portuguese publication Record for Benfica attacker Haris Seferovic then one still may be recruited this summer.
Rodriguez would be a way better signing then the likes of Seferovic not only due to his Premier League pedigree but also due to the WBA player’s professional attitude.
The Mirror previously reported that Rodriguez attended WBA’s training camp in Portugal despite being keen on a move away unlike his teammates Ben Foster and Dawson.
The Hammers could do with a player willing to always do right by the club he is contracted to and the professionalism the attacker has shown in recent weeks shows what a positive influence he could be on the club’s dressing room if welcomed.
Therefore the Hammers must win the race for Rodriguez’s services as the player could help the club’s attacking threat as well as be an experienced head for the rest of the team to call upon.
