OPINION
The situation with West Ham United’s attackers is precarious to say the least at present. There has been intense speculation over the futures of Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez and Lucas Perez this month, while Andy Carroll is out of contract at the end of the season.
The Arnautovic situation, in particular, has turned into a true debacle, a farce of the highest order. The Austrian international needs to be moved on, if not now then in the summer.
That timeline would fit perfectly with a potential move for Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Raul Jimenez. As reported by The Independent, Jimenez is on loan at Molineux with an option for them to sign him permanently at the end of the season for more than £30million.
If Wolves deem that too high a price to pay for a player who’s been impressive, but not prolific, then the Hammers should make a move for the Mexican international.
Because while Jimenez’s record of seven goals and five assists in 23 games this season doesn’t exactly jump off the page, his contributions to Wolves on the pitch have been immeasurable.
His influence is obvious whenever he’s not on the field for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. They simply don’t look like the same team without him, he offers so much more than mere goals.
He would fit perfectly in this West Ham team, where he would represent a more technical version of Carroll. He has the physical presence and the aerial ability of the Englishman combined with the technique and eye for goal of Arnautovic.
Plus, if Arnautovic is shipped off in the summer rather than January then West Ham can use the money from his sale to sign Jimenez if he escapes Wolves’ clutches.
If Wolves were thoroughly convinced by Jimenez then they would have made his loan permanent by now, like Borussia Dortmund did with Paco Alcacer earlier this campaign.
There are a lot of moving parts to this potential deal, but it’s one that could see Hammers fans come out of the Arnautovic debacle with smiles on their faces.
