According to a recent report from Sky Sports, West Ham are eyeing up a move for Maxi Gomez were Marko Arnautovic to leave the club this month. 22-year-old Gomez currently plays his football in Spain with Celta Vigo and has done so since leaving Defensor Sporting back in 2017, with his impressive goal-scoring exploits in La Liga seemingly attracting the interest of Hammers manager Manuel Pellegrini.

And that’s because reports suggest that the striker, valued at £31.5 million by Transfermarkt, is the man the Chilean wants to replace linked-away Arnautovic at the London Stadium, whose arrival would leave West Ham fans soon forgetting about the 29-year-old Austrian.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, there is little doubting that Arnautovic has become a vital player at the East London outfit in the last 12 months or so, as although he didn’t make a particularly great start to life at the London Stadium upon arrival from Stoke City in 2017, he has since been an absolute revelation.

The 29-year-old netted 11 goals and laid on six assists for the Hammers last term to help David Moyes’ side comfortably stave off relegation by finishing 13th, and he has produced the goods this time round as well with seven goals in just 16 Premier League appearances under new boss Pellegrini.

Unsurprisingly, Arnautovic’s fine form has attracted interest this month with Shanghai SIPG reportedly seeking to lure him to the Chinese Super League, although West Ham fans needn't worry about his departure were Pellegrini to seal a deal for Gomez as his replacement.

And that’s because the 22-year-old has proven to be one of La Liga’s most deadly striking hotshots in the last two years upon arrival at Celta Vigo in the summer of 2017, with the Uruguay international netting a staggering 19 goals in just 36 league appearances last term, helping the club to a 13th place finish in the Spanish top-flight.

And Gomez has continued his rich vein of form in front of goal this time round too with nine goals in just 17 league games, while his tally of five assists, matching his effort from last season, underlines that not only is he a predatory goal-scorer, but he’s also a creator as well.

As such, there are clear parallels between the huge influence he has on the Celta Vigo team and the huge influence Arnautovic has at West Ham - and at the tender age of 22, Gomez is only likely to get better under an excellent manager like Pellegrini.

Yes, losing Arnautovic, if that does indeed come to pass this month, is sure to come as a huge blow to West Ham in their quest to move up the Premier League table, but it would certainly not be the end of the world given they have won three and lost just one of the six league games he hasn’t featured in this season - he’s important to the team, but not indispensable.

And were the supremely talented Gomez to make the move to the London Stadium this month, West Ham would soon forget about the Austrian.

West Ham fans… what do you think? Let us know!