West Ham United have two great strikers but they are playing one out of position.
In recent comments published by Goal.com, West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic admitted that it is “almost impossible” to play Andy Carroll and Javier Hernandez as a front two, so why on earth did he not realise that before he signed the Mexican international?
After all, there are plenty of forwards who could operate effectively from a wide position or behind the target man, and yet the Hammers went all out to bring in the diminutive goal-getter from Bayer Leverkusen.
At first glance it was an inspired move. After all, Hernandez knows the Premier League like the back of his hand from his time at Manchester United and he has scored for fun wherever he has been.
The problem is that with Carroll taking the central position, West Ham’s newest forward has been shunted out wide and it leaves Bilic with a problem of his own making.
The West Ham boss’s latest comments raise even more questions about the club’s summer transfer business.
West Ham needed round pegs for round holes, signing players that could effectively supplement what they already had at their disposal.
It is great having a player of Hernandez’s quality to call on, yet he should be starting week in, week out in his natural position, where he can potentially fill his boots and get 20-plus goals to fire his new club up the table.
Bilic has previous when it comes to picking players out of position – just ask Michail Antonio – but on this occasion he should have identified his preferred formation and bought accordingly, because you can rest assured Hernandez did not arrive at West Ham expecting to be a winger.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
