So far this summer, West Ham have failed to deliver on David Sullivan’s promise of a 20-goal striker. I’m not overly worried, I believe that we’ll bring a quality forward in before the window slams shut – mainly because the club can’t afford to miss out on one.
Alexandre Lacazette, Michy Batshuayi and Carlos Bacca have all told West Ham ‘thanks, but no thanks’ while the likes of Simone Zaza, Mario Mandzukic and Christian Benteke remain second-tier targets the club aren’t overly enamoured with.
It’s about West Ham started to look outside the box, broaden their horizons and look for someone who not everyone is talking about. Someone who has all the potential, and someone who needs a fresh start.
No one fits that description better than Real Madrid’s Jese Rodriguez.
Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has claimed that, while he believes Jese is a talented young player and could be a star for Real in the future, perhaps he should start to look for a career-changing move.
“[With Jese] It’s a difficult situation. Having a big squad causes problems, but it’s what you get as Coach of Madrid. I’m not against the idea of the kids leaving. A lot of them leave and return, like Morata, Lucas and Carvajal. Why couldn’t others go?” Zidane asked.
“In any case, the squad has depth and I’m happy because they’ll all be needed with a lot of games to come. Jese is in the squad and it’s true that last year he didn’t play a lot. I’m the Madrid Coach and I want him because I really like him, but if I was his family I’d tell him to look for more minutes. But I’m the Coach, and maybe he can get them here. We’ll see. But I’m happy with him because I know his quality.”
Real Madrid are no strangers to selling off their talented youngsters and buying them back for a larger fee, built into the transfer contract. This summer already, Madrid exercised their buy-back option on Alvaro Morata following two strong years at Juventus and did the same wit both Lucas Vazquez and Dani Carvajal in years past.
An 18-year-old Jese was handed his Real Madrid debut against Ponferradina in the Copa Del Rey during the 2011/12 season and while he only played 12 minutes, Jese dazzled and made a statement that he was the next great talent to emerge at the Bernabeu.
The following season Jese was promoted to the Castilla side in the Liga Adelante and this is when the Spanish media started to take note of the young striker. In 38 appearances, he netted 22 goals which impressed manager Carlo Ancelotti enough to promote him into the Madrid first-team for the 2013/14 season.
Playing with the likes of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and of course, Cristiano Ronaldo had been a dream for Jese which has now become a reality. You’d imagine settling in amongst such a talented attacking trio would be daunting for any 20-year-old – but not Jese.
The 2013/14 season saw Jese really start to make his mark on the Madrid team. Used in a rotational role in the attack, Jese still scored eight goals in 31 appearances, while assisting in six more between August and March. His dream now realised, Jese’s career was experiencing a meteoric rise as Ancelotti’s men welcomed Schalke for the second-leg of their Champions League last 16 clash.
Madrid led 6-1 on aggregate and decided to give Gareth Bale a rest and start Jese on the right wing. Just eight minutes into the game, Jese is on the receiving end of a heavy challenge and little did he know how severe the injury was. Los Blancos won the game 3-1 but lost their shining light for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
His progress derailed. His rise halted. It would be 259 days before we saw Jese in a Madrid shirt again as he recovered from that terrible knee injury. He watched Madrid’s Copa Del Rey triumph over Barcelona as well as the dramatic Champions League victory over rivals Atletico Madrid from the sofa. A crushing blow for one of Europe’s best young talents.
His pre-season was centred around strengthening his knee and targeting a return to action before Christmas as opposed t celebrating last season’s successes and bonding with the squad.
On December 2nd, 2014, Jese made his long-awaited return to the Bernabeu pitch in a 5-0 Copa Del Rey victory over Cornella, scoring on his return as well. Of course, returning from such a severe injury means Jese has to be eased back into proceedings and given time to re-acclimatise himself. Limited to just 23 appearances over the second half of the season, scoring just four times, Jese was hoping 2015/16 under Ancelotti would help him return to his former glory.
Unfortunately, the Italian parted company with Madrid and he was replaced by Rafa Benitez who never really took to him and likewise the fans never really took to Benitez. The former Liverpool and Chelsea manager used Jese sparingly before his dismissal in early January 2015.
Zinedine Zidane replaced him. A man who has been part of the coaching set-up of the Castilla side during Jese’s rise to prominence. Perhaps this was his chance to return to the limelight?
The Frenchman favoured Lucas Vazquez as the fourth forward in his attack meaning Jese was again used in a limited capacity. Despite making 38 appearances last season, he was handed just 11 starts and now his future has come into question.
With just a year left to run on his contract with Real Madrid and no ongoing talks about extending it, it seems certain that Jese will leave the Bernabeu this summer. Can’t imagine he’d be terribly expensive either considering the fees West Ham have put forward for other strikers in Europe this summer.
This is the kind of player West Ham should take a chance on. A former teenage prodigy who’s road to stardom has had a few bumps along the way and just needs an opportunity to prove himself. There aren’t many better opportunities available in Europa than at West Ham – an established Premier League club who have European football and a vacancy at the head of the attack.
Do the right thing, West Ham. Go and steal Jese from Madrid and make him great again.
