Raúl Jiménez continues training in Madrid while waiting for his loan to West Ham to be finalized

The agreement between clubs has been reached for a few days now, but there is currently an obstacle that is being addressed. Due to his foreign status in the Premier League, the Mexican football player must meet certain requirements to receive a work permit to join West Ham. In reality, the rule states that the player must have participated in 75% of the matches in which he was eligible (not injured) for his national team during the two years prior to the permit application. From the beginning, West Ham feared that Jiménez would not meet the requirement, but the obstacle, which has been the subject of debate for some time now, can be overcome with a special permit from the Premier League under the "Exceptional Talent" condition, as has happened before.

West Ham faces striker shortage

Yesterday, West Ham received official confirmation that Enner Valencia will be out of action for about three months, while Carroll, another forward, will not return until October. Bilic needs reinforcements upfront and, while waiting for Jiménez, West Ham has also made progress in acquiring Bahebeck from PSG on loan. Bilic needs two forwards to strengthen his team and Raúl Jiménez wants to find a destination in a prestigious league where he will get playing time. The regulation is outdated, as even if the requirement is not met, in more than 70% of cases, Premier League clubs end up obtaining the work permit under exceptional circumstances (Gabriel and Coutinho are two examples). Raúl Jiménez is not alone in facing this situation. Chelsea recently signed Kenedy, a promising 19-year-old attacking midfielder from Fluminense, and despite already training under Mourinho, he has not yet obtained the work permit either.