West Ham United are under immense pressure currently with the Hammers losing their last six league games and have fallen into the bottom five in the standings. The owners have already started planning for the next season and are expected to spend big in the summer.
Manager Slaven Bilic is under immense pressure to steady the ship and has received assurances over his future at the club. It’s hard to point out what has gone wrong with the Hammers but one obvious reason is the departure of their talisman in attack – Dimitri Payet. They need some attacking reinforcements. Bilic has been a long-term admirer of Juventus striker Mario Mandžukić and wants the club to sign him for the next campaign.
West Ham had made a bid for the towering Juventus striker in January but failed in their attempts to sign him. It is a well-known fact that Mandžukić has been left frustrated with the Bianconeri this season as he has found it tough to accumulate playing time. He has scored just seven goals this season and has fallen down in the pecking order behind Gonzalo Higuaín and Paulo Dybala.
Bilic’s former club Besiktas were said to be the front-runners for the striker’s signature but it has now emerged that the Turkish club has failed to agree on the personal terms with the player. Besiktas were ready to pay £7 million for the striker who joined Juventus from Atletico Madrid back in 2015. Bilic has been vying for his countryman since joining the Hammers but has always faced defeat in his pursuit. This summer might finally see the arrival of the once most feared striker in the Premier League.
Mandžukić has always been a lethal man wherever he has gone with Juventus being the only exception. He scored 53 goals in 112 appearances for Dinamo Zagreb which got him a move to Wolfsburg. After scoring 20 goals for them, the Croatian moved to Bayern Munich where he got on the scoresheet 40 times in 88 matches. He then averaged a goal every other game for Atletico before joining Juventus.
It is evident by West Ham’s recent form that Bilic’s position as the manager is under serious threat. With Andy Carroll struggling to stay fit for the entirety of a season, Bilic needs a striker who can lead the charge along with Carroll. Mandžukić, his fellow countryman, can be a perfect addition to the West Ham squad. The 30-year old striker has always played brilliantly for the teams where he was the leading man up front. He can achieve that in a faltering West Ham squad which needs immediate reinforcements.
