West Ham United confirmed this past week that they had signed Eintracht Frankfurt striker Sebastian Haller for £45 million, making him the costliest player ever signed by the Hammers. The Premier League side have lost three strikers since the end of last season – Lucas Perez, Andy Carroll, and Marko Arnautovic. West Ham’s other option upfront, Javier Hernandez, hinted at leaving the club but could stay on after being involved in pre-season.
Now the Hammers are linked with a move for the prolific striker in the Scottish Premiership, Rangers’ Alfredo Morelos, with Daily Star claiming that the Colombian could be available for as little as £10 million, which would be a steal for the Premier League side.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of signing Alfredo Morelos.
Pros
As mentioned previously, Morelos is a prolific goalscorer, who ended last season with 30 goals for the club, in just his second season at Rangers. He has already got off the mark in the 2019-20 season, scoring 4 goals in 2 games in the Europa League qualifying fixtures. In 93 appearances for the club, he has scored 52 goals – which is an impressive scoring record.
A quick player with great strength with or without the ball at his feet, Morelos’s direct running and pace can frighten and torment opposition defenders. He is lethal in and around the penalty box, trying to take a quick shot on goal at every opportunity.
Morelos uses his strength well in brushing off defenders, while he also contributes to the team in the defensive side of the things, working hard to get back and press the opposition when they have the ball. The 23-year-old Colombian is still very young and could improve further, and his aggressive, combative style of play would mesh well with a team like West Ham United, where the fans would appreciate a player like him, putting in a lot of effort in every game.
Cons
Morelos’ biggest problem is his temperament, which was highlighted by his own manager Steven Gerrard, following his dismissal in a game against arch-rivals Celtic. He received 16 yellow cards and 5 red cards last season which certainly isn’t a good disciplinary record. Morelos cannot continue to be as ill-disciplined as he was at Rangers as he may not get too many chances in a tough and unforgiving league like the Premier League.