West Ham United have reportedly made a £27m bid to bring Celta Vigo’s La Liga phenomenon Maxi Gomez to the Premier League this summer
West Ham have made a £27 million bid for a striker, according to the Radio Galenga (01.32am). But 21-year-old Maxi Gomez is not a name that will be too familiar to Hammers’ fans.
The youngster has only had one season in European football with Celta Vigo and played just 31 minutes of football as his Uruguay side reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Russia, after all.
But there is a reason why West Ham appear to have made Gomez one of their top striking targets as the transfer window creaks shut. Comparisons with a certain Uruguayan phenomenon explain a lot.
“People back in Uruguay say that I’m going to be Luis Suárez’s successor in the national team and I hope that will turn out to be the case,” Gomez, who is reported to be valued at around £35 million, admitted to Tifo.
Now, Gomez is more of an old-school, physical centre-forward than the wily, more adaptable Suarez. And it is this no-frills style of play which could make him a perfect fit for English football.
Standing at 6ft 1ins and blessed with a real predatory instinct, Gomez would give West Ham that prolific, natural-born goalscorer they’ve been looking for. A true ‘number nine’, he combines Andy Carroll’s strength with Javier Hernandez’s poaching ability and would represent the perfect focal point for new West Ham wingers Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko.
18 goals in 36 La Liga games for Celta was an outstanding return for a striker who had only ever played in his homeland. If he could make a similar impact in the Premier League, £35 million would look a snip.
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