There are so many updates on Simone Zaza’s situation at West Ham that it’s hard even for us to keep up with it. Slaven Bilic has clearly been disappointed with the Italian, and his failure to shine hasn’t been a huge surprise.
While it’s still unclear if the player is staying or leaving, his name won’t stop being pushed by the European papers. Valencia fans are pretty familiarised with him by now, and the club’s intention to sign the striker isn’t a secret anymore.
Manager Cesare Prandelli, sporting director Jesús García Pitarch and club owner Peter Lim have all agreed about it, according to Super Deporte. But there’s still one ‘ok’ left for them to try the deal.
And it’s from Jorge Mendes. The super agent doesn’t work with Zaza, nor will he have a big part in the deal. What Valencia are waiting for is to see if he has some better option.
Mendes has been working with the club for quite some time now, as he’s a personal friend of Lim and helps him with advice, and of course, with deals. So as his players are a priority at the club, they’ll consult him before making any moves.
Simone Zaza is still to score for West Ham during his loan from Juventus. The Italian media keep disagreeing about how many matches he must play to activate the buying clause, and he has eleven appearances so far.
It may not be Mendes’ direct fault, but since the agent became involved with Valencia they’ve been on a slippery slope which now finds the grand old Spanish club in a relegation battle.