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Mario Husillos has a chance to earn his stripes at West Ham United this summer.
The club’s Director of Football has already earned a great deal of credit at the club for the signings of the likes of Felipe Anderson, Pablo Fornals and Issa Diop.
And yet one feels that he faces his greatest challenge at the London Stadium in this transfer window.
Indeed, the club have signed Pablo Fornals from Villarreal plus two goalkeepers, David Martin and Roberto.
Yet the headlines have been grabbed by the departures; Marko Arnautovic departed for Chinese club Shanghai SIPG on Monday, while Lucas Perez and Andy Carroll have both been allowed to leave.
Javier Hernandez and Jordan Hugill have been left as the club’s striking options and there have been a number of setbacks as Husillos looks to bring in reinforcements.
Maxi Gomez, the Celta Vigo striker, was a key target for Manuel Pellegrini, per Football FanCast sources, and was requested as a signing as early as January, when Arnautovic first flirted with a move to China.
Husillos attempted to negotiate a deal but sources believe it is dead in the water and he is instead set to move to Valencia.
West Bromwich Albion forward Salomon Rondon was the subject of a bid worth £10m plus Sam Byram and Hugill but reports now claim he is likely to move to China, where former Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez now works, having joined Dalian Yifang.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, a target identified at the start of the summer, has signed a new contract at Fulham.
Jacob Steinberg, the Guardian journalist, claims that the club are also unlikely to bid for AFC Bournemouth forward Callum Wilson, whom FFC understands has been scouted by the Irons. He would cost around £70m, Steinberg claims.
Husillos, then, has a titanic task.
West Ham, quite clearly, need a forward, or perhaps even two. Pellegrini, after all, worked with four forwards last season: Arnautovic, Lucas, Hernandez and Carroll.
Three of those players are already gone while Hugill, who was signed from Preston North End for £10m, has played just three times for the club.
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A Daily Telegraph report on Tuesday claimed that Mario Balotelli, the firebrand former Manchester City striker, has been offered to the Hammers but sources quickly denied any suggestion that a deal could be done there. Pellegrini is not said to be a fan and nor are the owners.
Husillos will not be taking quick fixes, then, and needs to ensure that his deal-making reputation is lived up to.
He has brought in previously unheralded players to excellent results before; Jose Mourinho, while still Manchester United manager, even congratulated the club’s scouts for spotting central defender Diop after he turned in a titanic performance against the club in a 3-1 win last season.
A similar transfer triumph may have to happen this summer, just further up the pitch.
Wilson, clearly, has a prohibitive asking price, which is likely to be true of pretty much every Premier League striker who could come in and become an instant starter at the London Stadium.
One feels, then, that he will have to cast his net all the wider as he looks to satiate the club’s need for a forward.
If he can’t, the Hammers face being hamstrung at the beginning of the season, all the way through until January.
Fail, and Husillos’ stock will fall.
Pull it off, and he’ll be the toast of east London.
