OPINION
West Ham attacker Lucas Perez must quickly get up to speed as the Hammers need him ready to fire on all cylinders against Bournemouth on Saturday.
The 5ft 9in tall forward (Source: Transfermarkt) was a late signing in the summer window for the Hammers but could be available to feature against the Cherries from the bench after Manuel Pellegrini hinted about his possible selection.
“Carlos just arrived on the last day of the deadline and Lucas Perez similar, so we will see if they are able to go on the bench but I cannot say at this moment,” said the Hammers boss in his press conference, as quoted by the club’s official site.
While the experienced manager is clearly not keen to rush his new recruits into the fold, it’s worth taking a gamble on Perez being ready and having him at least start on the bench in the Hammers’ next Premier League game.
The 29-year-old is no stranger to the Premier League as while he only made 11 league appearances for Arsenal during his time with them, he spent lot of games watching them play in England’s top-flight from the sidelines.
Perez knows what is expected of a Premier League forward but just needs an opportunity to prove that he can use all the skills in his locker in order to help the Hammers’ cause.
It was too soon for the former Gunners forward to be involved in the Hammers’ opening game against Liverpool and his side could have done with him.
Marko Arnautovic didn’t look fully at the races at Anfield which is understandable as he did have a late fitness test, as stated by club insider ExWHUemployee, ahead of the match against the Reds as there were doubts about him.
While the manager didn’t list the forward in his press conference among the players who are set to miss the game, it’s hard to imagine that he is still completely fit based on his latest display.
Javier Hernandez did end up replacing Arnautovic in the match against the Reds and struggled to make a positive impact in the game as well.
While the Mexican international did have less time to make an impression and it was a hard game, based on the fact he didn’t exactly excel in front of goal in the league last season then Pellegrini needs a third attacking option ready to go in case goals don’t come easy against the Cherries.
While the manager may like Perez to have more training sessions with the Hammers under his belt before featuring, given that the game against the Cherries is one the Hammers should be ensuring that they win, the experienced boss must gamble that Perez will take to the Hammers like a duck to water.
