OPINION
The quality of West Ham United’s attack is slowly diminishing, and boss Manuel Pellegrini will have to act fast when the transfer window opens for business in the summer.
Lucas Perez and Andy Carroll are practically all but out of east London ahead of the summer after a dreadful season in East London, Javier Hernandez has not reached full capacity, while Marko Arnautovic’s form has been rapidly declining ever since he was linked with a move to China in January.
This is why it makes complete sense for the Hammers to move for another forward in a few months’ time. This player must be Newcastle attacker Yoshinori Muto, a player that they were interested in last summer according to German newspaper Bild.
However, it is safe to say that Muto has not enjoyed the best of times during his time on Tyneside. He has only made 14 appearances in all competitions for the Magpies this season, which is mainly down to the fact that Rafa Benitez prefers Salomon Rondon over the Japan international. Being injured has not helped either, of course.
West Ham must reignite their interest in the centre-forward and rescue him from the nightmare that he is experiencing at Newcastle. His move has clearly not gone according to plan, and there is no doubt a huge part of him that is craving to get more minutes under his belt. Well, at West Ham, he will be able to get that.
What the Irons need is experience, and that is just what Muto has. He made 30 appearances for Mainz last season, scoring ten goals in the process, while he has 29 caps for Japan on the international stage.
Arnautovic also has international experience, but his form is not worth mentioning at the moment – not forgetting he seems to be on his way out. Moving for Muto in the summer is just the way to fix this issue.
West Ham could seal a seriously savvy swoop by signing the 26-year-old.
