West Ham United are said to be tracking the Russian international.
According to the Daily Mail, West Ham United are interested in signing Fedor Smolov from Krasnodar, but would the 27-year-old work effectively with Javier Hernandez or force the Mexican international out of contention at the London Stadium?
Hernandez arrived at the London Stadium for a reported £13million (Guardian) amid plenty of fanfare, with Hammers supporters feeling they finally had the prolific striker necessary to fire them up the table.
Unfortunately, a poor start to the campaign under Slaven Bilic meant that plenty of West Ham’s star names were underperforming, and Hernandez could only do so much to stop the rot.
Four goals in his first 10 league games was not bad for a team struggling to create sufficient chances, yet a badly-timed hamstring injury ruled him out just when new manager David Moyes will be looking to stamp his mark on the side.
If West Ham sign the prolific Smolov, it will be with the intention of playing him in his natural position as a central striker, but given he plays on his own for Krasnodar, with support further back from the likes of Mauricio Pereyra and Viktor Claesson, it is difficult to see the Russian playing effectively with Hernandez, who himself will be seeking similar channels and opportunities to pounce.
If Moyes can find a way to play the pair as a front two, they could be brilliant for West Ham, but the more likely scenario is that the Hammers boss opts for one up front and then a secondary attacker such as Manuel Lanzini, who can work his magic in the space left by a centre-forward.
Assuming that is how things ultimately play out, Hernandez may have to get used to life as a super-sub, just as he did when he was last in England.
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