Why West Ham should avoid a move for Hulk
According to The Sun, Hulk has been tipped to join West Ham after his contract with Shanghai SIPG expires this year. The Brazilian, who spent the last four and half years in China, bid adieu to the club and said that he had plenty of offers from various European and Brazilian clubs.
Profile
Givanildo Vieira de Sousa or ‘Hulk’ as he is popularly known, is a 34-year-old Brazilian forward who plays for Chinese club Shanghai SIPG. He started his youth career at Vilanovense in 2001 and also spent time at Sao Paulo and Vitoria.
It was at Vitoria that he was given a crack at the senior team. However, within a few months, he moved to Japan when he signed with Kawasaki Frontale. He spent three years there, playing for various clubs before embarking on his first European stint with FC Porto.
In 169 appearances for the Portuguese giants, he scored 77 goals and assisted 61. After 4 successful seasons, he signed for Zenit St. Petersburg. He had a good spell there before departing for China like most players were doing at the time. Hulk is a veteran of the national side with 48 appearances and 11 goals.
West Ham would be better off without Hulk
In his heyday, Hulk was one of the most prolific and powerful forwards in the game. He had a deadly combination of speed and strength, which made him a dangerous proposition for defenders.
However, at 34, he isn’t the same player despite what his numbers in China may say. With utmost respect, the Chinese Super League is clearly nowhere near the levels of the top 5 European leagues.
West Ham are finally having one of their better seasons and they look like they have a decent team. Yes, the attack looks a bit light but signing someone like Hulk would be a huge mistake. The player hasn’t played European football in more than 4 years.
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With Hulk being a right winger, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for the club to go for him because they already have Jarrod Bowen in their ranks. Bowen has been a huge asset for the club since joining and it would be wrong to displace him from the side.
At 34, he isn’t getting any younger and the club should look to funnel those funds in a younger player or position they actually need.