Once the 2016 Rio Olympics are over and done with, West Ham are expected to complete the signing of Deportivo Maldonado striker Jonathan Calleri on a season-long loan.
The 22-year-old striker made his name in Argentina with Boca Juniors before being bought by the wealthy Uruguayan outfit and immediately shipped out on loan to Brazilian giants Sao Paulo in January.
In 31 appearances for Sao Paulo, Calleri netted 16 goals earning him a place in the Argentina squad for the Olympic Games, who played their first game yesterday and suffered a disappointing 2-0 loss to Portugal.
Calleri is considered as one of the best young forwards in South American football and the Hammers are believed to have beaten off the likes of Barcelona, Sevilla and Inter Milan to his signature.
To no surprise, us and many West Ham fans don’t know terribly much about Jonathan Calleri, so we sat down with South American football expert Paulo Freitas to find out more.
Jonathan Calleri is a name most West Ham fans would not have been too familiar with prior to this summer, could you detail some of his key attributes?
Technically, Calleri is a very strong player. His aerial ability is impressive and he is a clinical finisher.
Calleri has been touted in the past as the ‘new Carlos Tevez’ and spent considerable time playing with him at Boca. Would you draw any comparisons in their style of play?
I don’t think the style is too similar, Calleri is more like a poacher although he is a bit more than just that. Tevez is shorter but also bulkier and he is also a more complete and technically gifted player.
When Tevez first moved to England with West Ham it took him several months to adjust to the rigours of the Premier League. Would you imagine Calleri facing similar issues?
I think Calleri will adapt quicker, his style is more suited to Premier League and he has a better mentality than Tevez too.
The likes of Inter Milan, Sevilla and Barcelona have all said to have attempted to sign Calleri after he made a name for himself with Sao Palo. Do you think he has the game to be effective in European football?
Calleri is not really good enough for a team like Barcelona right now, but his style is more than good enough to succeed in Europe, No doubt he would have been more than good enough for teams like Sevilla and Inter.
Where does Calleri rank amongst some of the other bright and emerging talents in South America?
I would place him in a second tier of promising South American players, behind the likes of Gabigol and new Manchester City signing Gabriel Jesus, for example, but still above the vast majority of players in the continent.
It’s hard to judge now, but knowing what you do about the player, where do you see Calleri in five years?
I expect him to play in a regular basis for Argentina’s national team in five years and to have moved to team in Spain or Italy, a team like Atlético de Madrid or Napoli or similar. He has the talent to play at that level one day.
And finally, in one sentence, what should West Ham expect from Jonathan Calleri?
West Ham fans should expect a determined striker with lethal goalscoring skills.
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