The West Ham United striker was heavily linked with the exit door in January.
Hammers ace Pablo Zabaleta sat down for an exclusive interview with the club’s official website, and expressed his delight that teammate Javier Hernandez remained at the club, after being heavily linked with a move away from the London Stadium during the January transfer window.
West Ham currently sit in 12th position in the Premier League table, four points clear of the drop zone, and with 11 league games still to be played this season, they are very much involved in a relegation battle.
Hernandez, 29, has been one of the stand-out performers for David Moyes’ side in recent weeks, and his goals could prove to be vital for the Hammers over the remainder of their campaign.
The Mexico international joined West Ham from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2017, for a fee believed to be worth in the region of £16 million, but he has taken his time to settle in east London.
He was close to joining Besiktas in January, according to Goal, but he eventually remained in England.
“I have to say Chicharito is also important to us. There was a lot of speculation in January that he was looking to move clubs, but he has always been very professional, kept training well and was focused on what he was doing. At the end of the day, it was important for our team to keep him because he is important to us and we know what he can give the team. He proved again on Saturday that inside the box he is an important player.”
Next up for the Hammers is a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the Premier League on February 24th, and they will undoubtedly need Hernandez to be at his very best, if they are to have any chance whatsoever of returning to east London with anything to show for their efforts.
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