OPINION
After breaking their transfer record twice last season, West Ham were surely facing the prospect of a quiet summer of business this time around.
The Hammers recruited heavily for Manuel Pellegrini’s first season in charge, the £22million arrival of Issa Diop quickly followed by Felipe Anderson from Lazio for £36million.
However, despite that costly double deal last summer, director of football Mario Husillos wasted no time in springing into action in the opening weeks of this window.
West Ham scraped into the top half of the Premier League on the last day, and reports from the Evening Standard claimed Manuel Pellegrini would need to sell his fringe players to add to a small transfer budget this time around.
The Hammers have already confirmed the signing of Spanish playmaker Pablo Fornals from Villareal, and are now in the market for a striker – with Salomon Rondon being the latest linked with a move to the club.
Husillos has to be smart in his deals after the arrival of Fornals, and the Argentine has been just that by reportedly offering £10million plus two players in a bid to tempt West Brom to sell the Venezuelan international.
This was a great move by the Director of football, who could kill two birds with one stone by luring Rondon to the club by using fringe players in an attempt to persuade West Brom.
The Daily Star reports that both Sam Byram and Jordan Hugill were included in an offer, in a deal which would see the majority of Rondon’s wage covered by their departures.
Byram is currently on £30,000 per-week in east London [Spotrac], and would cover half of the former Newcastle forward’s deal should he sign. Hugill, on the other hand, has only made three appearances for the London club since arriving last season and surely has no future at the club.
Husillos is working in overdrive at the start of the window with a move for Rondon surely sorting Pellegrini’s striker headache.
The Venezuelan has a release clause of £16.5million and only has one year left on his current deal at the Hawthorns. Should the Hammers only want to spend £10million, adding fringe players that other clubs don’t currently hold an interest in would be an inspired move by the Argentine.
