Top 5 players in the bottom half of the Premier League this season

#2 Javier Hernandez

The form of Hernandez has been surprising to West Ham fans

The little Mexican’s struggles for West Ham this season has been mystifying. It seemed like a coup when the Hammers landed him in the summer: Hernandez had been one of the Bundesliga’s best forwards for a few seasons, scoring 28 goals in 54 league appearances for Bayer Leverkusen.

He had Premier League pedigree too, functioning as an excellent squad member under Sir Alex Ferguson for Manchester United. He has sadly not performed anywhere near his top level this season, however. This has much more to do with his team’s terrible form though, as the striker has not been provided with the chances needed to score.

Given the service Hernandez is amongst the best natural goalscorers in Europe: he is a player that thrives on playing in the penalty box, lurking for chances from crosses and through balls. In a team struggling to get any rhythm like West Ham, he has been decided proper help, adrift from his teammates. This all means that Hernandez would represent a safe bet for a side higher in the league table.

He was superb as an impact substitute in his time at Old Trafford, reliable and effective when Wayne Rooney or Dimitar Berbatov needed a rest, and he would certainly be able to do it again; perhaps for Chelsea to cover for Alvaro Morata. Playing in a team with better attacking players around him, there is no doubt that Hernandez would start scoring more goals.