OPINION
West Bromwich Albion striker Salomon Rondon has emerged as a very viable alternative to Celta Vigo frontman Maxi Gomez for West Ham United this summer.
Claret & Hugh reported on Tuesday that the Hammers have had a bid rejected for the 6ft 1in Venezuelan [Source: Transfermarkt], but that they remain interested and will likely go back in for him.
Another team who are thought to be eyeing the Baggies star are West Ham’s Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, a report from the Daily Star revealed Rondon may reject a move to Molineux because of concerns over playing second fiddle to Raul Jimenez in the Wolves attack.
However, Claret & Hugh’s report includes a quote from a club source saying that Rondon would be signed by the Hammers to operate as back up to Marko Arnautovic in Manuel Pellegrini’s attack.
Seemingly the east London outfit are on the verge of making the same error as their Midlands counterparts. The 29-year-old wants to play, not sit on the bench watching Jimenez or Arnautovic strut their stuff.
If West Ham genuinely want to sign the burly frontman then they need to put aside their bizarre pro-Arnautovic agenda and make room for Rondon in the team. He is good enough to be starting ahead of the Austrian who, for all his brilliance, doesn’t provide the consistency of Newcastle United’s current Player of the Year.
It would be bizarre for the Hammers to essentially repeat the same mistake that Wolves are currently making. How does that make any sense? They need to learn from Wolves and prioritise bringing Rondon in over a weird sense of quasi-loyalty to a man who tried to leave for China in January – it’s a no-brainer.
