OPINION
West Ham’s £16million signing of Javier Hernandez last summer could prove to be a bargain if the 29-year-old puts in his best Hammers display yet against Southampton on Saturday.
The club’s official website confirmed upon signing Hernandez ahead of this season that the Hammers had paid Bayer Leverkusen £16million to get his services.
Based on his performances and goal return so far during this campaign, it’s fair to say that £16million could have been better spent elsewhere.
Hernandez has only scored seven goals in 29 appearances across all competitions for the Hammers and isn’t seen as a guaranteed starter at the club.
However, David Moyes’ side are arguably set to face the Saints in a game that could end up deciding their season.
Both sides are facing the real threat of relegation, but the Hammers currently have the edge over the Saints as they have two more points on the board.
This could all change if the Hammers lose to Mark Hughes’ side when the teams face-off at the London Stadium on Saturday.
A defeat would cause the Hammers to slip into the bottom three and from there, they will only have seven games in which to get themselves out of the drop zone.
This means Saturday’s game is the perfect stage for a forward to prove his worth by essentially firing their side to safety.
Hernandez could take that golden opportunity and show the prolific form that saw him score 37 goals in 103 Premier League appearances for Manchester United during his time with them.
It’s quite likely that Moyes will opt to give the Mexican international a place in his starting line-up as Manuel Lanzini, according to the Daily Mail, might not be fully fit for the game.
A 2017 ESPN report revealed how much relegation costs a team, and pointed to facts such as Aston Villa’s TV revenue going from £65million to £6million after being relegated from the Premier League.
Therefore if Hernandez takes his opportunity to fire the Hammers past Southampton on Saturday, then the £16million paid out for him would be a bargain if he stopped the club dropping into the Championship.