Valencia nearing Ruben Sobrino deal surely means West Ham keep Javier Hernandez

By Sam Leveridge

Throughout January, Javier Hernandez has been linked with a move away from the London Stadium, with MARCA even reporting that Valencia coach Marcelino revealed that the striker was keen on the move.

Now, though, local sports newspaper Superdeporte report that Los Che are in negotiations with Alaves striker Ruben Sobrino as an alternative having ruled out a move for the West Ham man.

That means that with little over 24 hours of the transfer market remaining, the Mexican looks set to remain a West Ham player for the remainder of the 2018/19 season.

GIRONA, SPAIN – JANUARY 12: Bernardo of Girona FC tackles Ruben Sobrino of Deportivo Alaves during the La Liga match between Girona FC and Deportivo Alaves at Montilivi Stadium on January 12, 2019 in Girona, Spain. (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

The 30-year-old has made just seven Premier League starts this season, the last coming before Christmas, scoring five goals from 19 games in all competitions.

Manuel Pellegrini has appeared reluctant to stick with him either, with a five game run in December the only time all season that he has started back to back games for the Chilean since the coach arrived in the summer.

With Sobrino having scored just four goals from 22 games, it may be easy to understand why Valencia were pushing for Hernandez, but that deal will now be off the table if these reports are accurate.