SOCCER

Javier Hernandez Is an Excellent Fit for West Ham

In his return to the Premier League, the Mexican Maestro brings with him lots of scoring and a whole bunch of charisma.

Mexico's all-time leading scorer is heading back to the Premier League with a great opportunity to prove his worth at West Ham. Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez has left Bayer Leverkusen for another chance to show his talent in England's top tier and should fit in well with Slaven Bilic's side.

The 29-year-old striker is in the prime of his career and brings a great goal-scoring record. A partnership with Andy Carroll should keep the record going.

Chicharito scored 28 goals in 54 appearances for Leverkusen over the last two seasons. In his 103 matches in the Premier League he only scored 37 goals, but his work in the Bundesliga and for his national team have kept the confidence up.

Little Pea's consistency is worth mentioning. He averaged a goal every 142 minutes in the Premier League with Manchester United. It was only slightly worse in the Bundesliga at every 148 minutes, while his production was at its best in La Liga for Real Madrid, when he scored a goal every 132 minutes. Last season's goal total fell short of his contribution in his first season with Leverkusen, where Chicharito thrived on a partnership with Stefan Kießling.

The link with Carroll should be similar to his first year with Kießling. Carroll can use his height and strength to win balls and hold up play, thus allowing Hernandez to play off of him and find space. Service should come from Marko Arnautovic, another new signing coming to the London Stadium. Add in Manuel Lanzini in an attacking midfield role and the team should be much more dynamic in front of their opponent's goal. The Hammers should have no problem eclipsing the 47 goals they scored last season.


That group of forwards around Chicharito should also provide more stability than he experienced last season in Germany. Hakan Calhanoglu was the star player for Leverkusen, and Hernandez directly benefitted from the winger's play. However, he was sentenced to a four-month ban in February and missed the remainder of the season. There was also a coaching change as well as injuries to integral players like Julian Brandt and Omer Toprak.

On paper, the addition to Chicharito to the Hammers solidifies a potent new look up front. Many believe that Chicharito wants to prove he can be a star in the Premier League, and this situation sets up well for him to get the headlines. His path to stardom kicks off in just over three weeks against his former team, Manchester United.