West Ham are reportedly interested in signing the Italian striker.
Hammers boss David Moyes will be desperate to bolster his ranks at the London Stadium before the transfer window closes on Wednesday, with 13 first-team players currently injured and unavailable for selection.
The injury crisis has affected every department of Moyes’ squad, and the Scot will be looking to add cover to all areas, if that is at all possible.
One of West Ham’s targets is Shandong Luneng striker Graziano Pelle, according to Sky Sports, but is he the man to help fire the Hammers to a top 10 finish this season?
The Italian is arguably already past his best. At 32 years of age, Pelle is on the downward spiral in the life cycle of a professional footballer, and he has hardly been in great form of late, having not scored since August.
He has scored just 12 goals during his 18 month spell in China, and having been away from the Premier League for so long, he would surely find it difficult to readjust to the robust, high tempo nature of the English game.
The Italy international wasn’t exactly the most mobile of strikers even in his younger years, and his slow, cumbersome approach to the game might just prove to be detrimental to the quality of the Hammers’ play.
Pelle’s contract is set to expire in December of this year, and he is valued at £5.4 million, according to TransferMarkt, so West Ham should be able to secure themselves a cut-price deal for the striker, which begs the question…are the club’s owners up to their old tricks again?
It seems as though West Ham are placing priority on securing a bargain rather than signing genuine quality, and that tactic could once again come back to bite them, with just four points currently separating them from the drop zone.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
