Premier League outfit West Ham United have made two huge signings this summer in the form of Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic in order to forge a heavily armed strike force. The Hammers could secure merely an eleventh place finish in the league table last term in the English top flight, and one of their prime issues was finding the back of their net. Thus, Slaven Bilic’s two notable acquisitions make perfect sense.
However, Bilic is still far from being satisfied with the quality of the personnel he would be navigating in the upcoming campaign and is keen to bolster his attacking frontier further. As per one of the latest reports by O Jogo, the London based outfit had sent scouts to watch Benfica’s forward Raul Jimenez in training last week.
Premier League outfit Everton had recently made a whopping £40million bid for the striker, but so far, nothing as such has materialised.
Who is Jimenez?
Jimenez emerged through the youth ranks of America, and was eventually promoted to their senior side. His fine form and notable goal scoring spree urged La Liga heavyweights Atletico Madrid to make him sign on the dotted lines in the summer transfer window of 2014.
However, the scenarios in Spain didn’t really work out in his favour and after a year, he made a move to the Portuguese outfit Benfica where he found the back of the net on 12 occasions in 47 games he played for.
Jimenez is a player who is widely recognised for his hard working attitude and is a complete player who doesn’t only cater to the goal-scoring needs of the club but also tracks back to defend as well.
His heading abilities are top class and he is indeed a very clinical striker who makes a good use of the opportunities offer to him. Besides, he has Champions League experience and is a valued asset in the national side of Mexico, and no wonder Bilic is keen to add him after acquiring the services of another Mexican international in the form of Hernandez.
Although he is a player of fine calibre, the price is slightly on the higher side. Of late, the 26-year-old is struggling to accumulate game time under his belt and thus, a move might be on the cards. But considering the renowned stubbornness of the Eagles to derive maximum amount possible whilst selling their players, the Irons will undoubtedly have to embrace a significant degree of risk if they manage to get the deal done.
