OPINION
West Ham must not wait for Newcastle United to drop the ball in their pursuit of Salomon Rondon but instead act swiftly to get his services.
According to the Northern Echo the Hammers are ready to make a move for the 29-year-old forward if the Magpies can’t agree a deal to turn his loan move from West Bromwich Albion into a permanent switch.
Yet while the Hammers could end up wasting time pursuing Rondon, as he seems happy at St James Park, they should still work quickly to give them the best chance of beating the Magpies to him.
This is because the forward is a clear upgrade on current attacking option Andy Carroll and would see Manuel Pellegrini’s side be a more formidable side next season.
Rondon has been involved in 15 goals in his 2018/19 campaign for the Magpies as he has scored 10, while assisting five, and doesn’t have an injury record that would give manager nightmares unlike Carroll.
Aside from the currently on loan Magpies forward’s injury record being an improvement on Carroll’s, when you consider the Hammers front man has not registered a league goal even when fit enough to play this season.
The Hammers forward has also looked sluggish in games, with it possible to question the amount of effort he is putting in, and this is the completely opposite to Rondon as the forward seems to strive to give his all every time he’s on the pitch.
Carroll’s current £90,000-a-week deal (Source: Spotrac) is on course to expire this summer and while he hasn’t wowed this season, the London club still need a capable replacement to arrive.
This is because Pellegrini’s side will clearly be in need of signing a new forward as even though Carroll has struggled, the Hammers boss has still used him 12 times in the league, which highlights his lack of options.
So with all this in mind, the Hammers should be quick in their pursuit of Rondon as he is currently head and shoulders above Carroll.
