OPINION
West Ham United have been on the look out for another striker in this transfer window to compliment the duo of Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic, and they may have found him in the shape of Lucas Perez.
The Arsenal forward has been undergoing a medical in East London according to Goal, and his potential arrival must push Andy Carroll through the exit door.
The 6″4 [Transfermarkt] giant is currently sidelined with injury and is not expected to be fit again until September, a month into the new Premier League season.
However, Team Talk have reported that the possible arrival of hitman Perez could spark an exit for Carroll, as well as Jordan Hugill.
Perez may not have the best goal tally from his loan stint at La Liga side Deportivo La Coruna, but he a far better option than keeping the England international on the books.
The 29-year-old only managed to muster up three goals in 18 appearances last season, which is a woeful statistic for a player with his experience and calibre.
Spells at Newcastle and Liverpool should have given him the know-how to succeed at West Ham, but he has not had much luck recently to warrant him a place in the squad.
That, along with being injured, is why Perez possibly joining the ranks should push through an exit for him.
He clearly does not feature in boss Manuel Pellegrini’s long-term plans for the club, otherwise he would not be attempting to bring another striker in.
His injury was the final nail in the coffin in terms of his club future – and they cannot afford to keep paying his £90,000 a week wages [Spotrac] if they have another player to fill his position.
There is no reason for the Hammers to keep a player with an awful goal tally and is prone to being injured – and hopefully swooping for Perez will give the club the push to offload him.
