According to a recent report by the Daily Mirror, West Ham United are set to rekindle their interest for Celta Vigo forward Maxi Gomez ahead of a potential move in the summer. The same source has also mentioned that the La Liga striker could be available for £20m less than what he was valued during the January transfer window. The Mirror also reveals that West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini is eager to work with the Uruguayan international and has identified him as a long-term replacement for Andy Carroll.
The Paysandu born frontman started playing football in his homeland of Uruguay before battling his way up the youth set-up of Defensor. Celta de Vigo decided to give him an opportunity to impress in the summer of 2017. Since making a high-profile switch to Spain, the talented forward has slowly established himself as a serial goal-getter and has formed an impressive partnership with former Liverpool striker Iago Aspas at Balaídos.
The 22-year-old striker has been the shining light in Celta Vigo’s difficult La Liga campaign so far. He has scored nine goals and grabbed five assists in 25 matches for the Spanish outfit this term across all competitions. However, his goal-scoring displays have not been enough for Celta to steer clear of the relegation zone. They are currently occupying the 18th spot in the league standings and are just a point off the safe zone.
The Mirror has also claimed that if Celta gets relegated this season, then Gomez’ release clause would significantly drop from £42m to £22m which will give the Hammers more hope of landing him next summer.
Gomez is a fox inside the opposition box as he can score goals even when he is not playing well on the pitch. The Uruguayan is physically strong and is also a good dribbler with the ball at his feet. However, he tends to drift in and out of games in terms of his level of performance which is a cause for concern.
The potential acquisition of Gomez will undoubtedly bolster Pellegrini’s attacking options at the London Stadium next season. West Ham have got Javier Hernandez as their primary striker up top, but other than that, none of their other striking options has managed to nail down a regular starting place in Pellegrini’s first-team. Andy Carroll and Marko Arnautovic does not look like they are going to start for the Hammers any time soon while Andriy Yarmolenko and Lucas Perez have both had their fair share of struggles with injuries.
Hence, Gomez would improve their squad depth significantly and also provide some healthy competition for Hernandez up front. At 22, the South American sensation could be an ideal candidate to lead the line for the East London outfit in the upcoming campaign.
