OPINION
This Maxi Gomez to West Ham United saga has been rumbling on for months now, but it has kicked into high gear in recent days.
Sky Sports reported last week that the Hammers and Spanish side Valencia have both had identical £29million bids for the Celta Vigo striker accepted, and that Gomez’s next move is now entirely up to the player himself.
However, Claret & Hugh claimed on Sunday that the bids have merely been tabled, not accepted. Meanwhile their report also stated that Gomez’s decision rests on West Ham giving him assurances that he won’t be back up to Marko Arnautovic at the London Stadium. If he doesn’t get those guarantees he could end up staying in La Liga.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini would be committing a cardinal sin by not telling Gomez what he wants to hear. He wouldn’t have to lie, either, because surely the Uruguay international would be arriving in east London as the first choice frontman anyway.
Any player who signs for a club wants to play regular football, and the Hammers should be happy that the 22-year-old is someone who values game time over how much money he can get.
That’s a good sign, but if Pellegrini doesn’t give him the assurances he needs, his admirable attitude could see West Ham miss out on his signature.
Gomez deserves to be the first choice striker for Pellegrini’s team, not Arnautovic. The Austrian is talented, sure, but he is inconsistent, temperamental and, most importantly, now 30 years of age.
You have to prioritise the younger man, but it just so happens that Gomez is the better man as well. It would be unthinkable, then, for West Ham not to tell him what he wants to hear – that’s what they absolutely must do.
