Chicharito’s return to Chivas is something that has been widely speculated for years. Ever since Javier’s career kind of flamed out in Europe. The big issue of course is that Chicharito earns a massive amount of cash from LA Galaxy. According to the MLS players association Javier earns 6 million dollars per year from the LA based club. For comparison Alexis Vega, who is the highest paid player in the history of Chivas, makes around 1.5 million dollars a year. Bringing Chicharito along would force Chivas owner Amaury Vergara to find a way to bridge that gap. The investment may be a bit steep for Amaury at this point, particularly since he’s still trying to consolidate his grasp on the team and the family businesses after the death of his father Jorge.
The financial side of things is quite complex, and we’re going to leave it at that for now. On the field Chivas currently has one main issue, and that is the fact that they don’t have a number nine that can consistently find the back of the net. Say what you want about Chicharito, but if there’s something that he’s proven that he can do it’s precisely that. That’s not the only reason though, Chivas should take on the financial burden of bringing him on.
Quite Frankly There Are No Other Options Out There
What other options are out there for Chivas, at the striker position? Just a reminder Chivas can only play Mexican-born players on their squad. They went through the whole controversy of bringing along Peru intranational, but Mexico born Santiago Ormeño because they couldn’t find anyone else in Liga MX that they could use. He hasn’t been an answer for them scoring only 1 goal in his tenure. Angel Zaldivar has had a ton of chances at Chivas, and he’s proven that he’s a lower level Liga MX striker. At this point in his career he probably won’t blossom into much more.
If you look at the other Mexican players in MLS that are scoring goals like Ronaldo Cisneros, he’s been at Chivas already he’s actually contracted to Chivas, and on loan. Chula Vista born Brandon Vazquez of Cincinnati, could be another option on the table. Chivas may have to compete with other clubs to sign him though. Current or former Club America players like Henry Martin, and Raul Jimenez seem to be off the table at this point.
How Much Longer Will Chicharito Be A Viable Option?
If Chivas don’t pull the trigger on Chicharito soon there may come a point where he won’t be a viable option to help the team. Javier is 34, and he physically looks a rather old 34. He doesn’t seem to be one of those players that is still a gym rat. He’s done enough to keep himself in decent shape to string together strong performances in the last two MLS seasons, but if Chivas brings him along when he’s 36 or so, can they really expect him to be in shape at that point?
It’s not only Chicharito’s age that could be a concern. The squad that Chivas has right now seems to be missing just a couple of pieces in order to be really competitive. How long can this good form of the Chivas squad last? Sure there are quite a few young players that should get better, but guys like Brizuela, or even goalkeeper “Wacho” Jimenez may not be in their best form in a year or so. With that in mind it may just be the perfect moment for Aumary Vergara to pull the trigger, and give Chicharito a homecoming.
