West Ham are considering a shock move for former Chelsea forward, Adrian Mutu, according to The Daily Mirror. Mutu currently plays for Fiorentina in Italy and has done well for the Viola but has struggled for form and fitness recently and his agent has admitted that he may leave in January.
Mutu left England in shame as he was sacked by Chelsea after he tested positive for cocaine in 2004. Now 30, he has resurrected his career in Italy but the spectre of his Chelsea past still lurks over him. The Romanian star was ordered to pay Chelsea £14.6million as a result of his breach of contract and the stress of this fine has led to a dip in form. Mutu needs money and West Ham may be willing to offer a significant signing-on fee to tempt him back to London.
Gianfranco Zola is keen to hang on to the players he has, but Gianluca Nani, the club’s technical director, has been scouting for possible signings as the club looks to avoid relegation from the Premier League. Mutu is contracted to Fiorentina till 2012 but he has something to prove in England after his disappointing spell at Chelsea and he may jump at the chance of returning to the Premier League.
Any bid for Mutu is likely to have to wait until a takeover of the club is complete; at present there is precious little money for Zola to spend and a player the quality of Mutu will not come cheap. If a takeover is completed though, a player like Mutu could be exactly what is needed to inspire the club to safety in the way that Carlos Tevez did a few years ago.
[Is there any substance to this and should this rumour Fly or Die?]
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He has really impressed at Fiorentina and still has a good few years in him