Javier Hernandez may look for a move away from West Ham this summer, with Frederic Kanoute telling Goal that he will have no shortage of options if he does head for the exits.
The Mexico international is a proven Premier League goalscorer and was considered to be quite a coup for the Hammers when snapped up for £16 million ($21m) from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2017.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid frontman has, however, managed just 13 goals while at the London Stadium after seeing regular starts hard to come by.
Manuel Pellegrini has offered him only nine in the English top-flight this season, with half of the 30-year-old’s outings in 2018-19 having come from off the bench.
Ex-West Ham striker Kanoute, speaking courtesy of Enterprise-Rent-A-Car, told Goal of Chicharito’s lack of game time: “He’s a striker that I like. He’s proven his quality over the years with big clubs. I guess the coach sees it otherwise.
“He knows the players better than me. It might be surprising because of his name and the quality of striker that he is but the coach knows his team better than anyone. The most important thing is that the team works and hopefully that is what will happen.”
Quizzed on whether Hernandez may need a change of scenery during the next window, with transfer talk having already surfaced, Kanoute added: “He might want to move.
“He might have some discussions with the club to see what they want to do with him and what he wants to do. I feel that he is going to have options if he is going to move in the summer.”
While Hernandez may soon be among those heading out of West Ham, the club have worked hard to retain the services of Marko Arnautovic.
A lucrative switch to China appeared to be on the cards at one stage in January, but the Austria international was made aware that no sale would be sanctioned and eventually committed to a new contract.
On the importance of the enigmatic 29-year-old staying put, Kanoute said: “It was crucial for them to keep this level of player and bring in a few new ones that can bring that extra quality which is needed for a club like West Ham.
“It was very important for them to keep him and hopefully they can be a little bit higher in the table in the second part of the season.”
Keeping Arnautovic could prove crucial to the West Ham cause, but there are other deals to be done.
One of those is likely to involve Samir Nasri, with the former Arsenal and Manchester City playmaker having been taken on a short-term contract after serving a doping ban.
The 31-year-old Frenchman has impressed during his time in east London and is expected to enter into discussions regarding an extended stay.
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“He’s a fantastic player,” said Kanoute. “He’s been at top clubs and has great quality. Hopefully now he can show the Hammers all of his talent and find stability at this club to give a new start to his career as well.”
Hernandez, Arnautovic, Nasri and Co are due back in Premier League action on Friday when West Ham take in a derby date with Fulham.
Frédéric Kanouté is working with UEFA Europa League partner Enterprise Rent-A-Car on their Legendary Journeys campaign. To discover more and to enjoy special rates on car hire across Europe, visit www.enterprise.co.uk/UEL
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