OPINION
West Ham United appear to be a magnet for talented but troubled players. Mercurials and mavericks seem to congregate at the London Stadium, with one such star seemingly always at the club.
It appears that another such player could be set for a stint in East London, with The Gambling Times reporting that the Hammers are one of the many teams interested in £20million-rated Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos.
It almost goes without saying that Manuel Pellegrini should stay well clear of this one. The juice simply isn’t worth the squeeze with Morelos – he’s too much trouble even if his raw talent is obvious for all to see.
Having said that, he is unproven at Premier League level. He has flourished in Scotland, yes, but so did the likes of Gary Hooper and we all know how well he fared with Norwich City in the top flight.
Morelos could be different, how good he is at just 22 years of age suggests he might be. However, West Ham just went through an extremely traumatic January transfer window where they were embarrassed by Marko Arnautovic.
A talented but mercurial player the Austrian is, and so is the Rangers standout. If Arnautovic leaves in the summer, as expected, is it really wise to replace one known troublemaker with another? If Morelos signs and then excels, the club would be risking a repeat of the Arnautovic situation when clubs inevitably come sniffing for the Colombian.
There are other, less risky, signings that the Hammers should pursue this summer. If a striker is what they’re after then why not go back in for Maxi Gomez? He has none of the character concerns associated with Morelos.
All in all, a move for Morelos simply isn’t worth the risk for West Ham. Pellegrini is trying to install a winning culture at the London Stadium, he doesn’t need a bad egg like the Rangers man potentially ruining his hard work.
