Alongside the seemingly endless manager search, reports are beginning to circle around potential arrivals at Upton Park. In particular, reports from Italian website Tutto Mercato suggest that in the last 24 hours Sampdoria Chairman Massimo Ferrero is set to travel to London to discuss the potential transfers of Éder and Pedro Obiang to West Ham United. But what exactly would we be getting should these deals be a success?
Obiang seems the more likely of the two players to make the transfer from Northern Italy to East London. The Former Spain U21 central midfielder has scored 3 goals in 35 appearances for Sampdoria this season. Although he may not bring too many goals from midfield, he will provide a balance within the squad and will be crucial in the transition between defence and attack, something West Ham could certainly do with given the departure of Alex Song. Recent reports suggest that Obiang could be used as bait to lure Enner Valencia to the Serie A club as the Ecuadorian has struggled to adapt to Premier League football in his first season at West Ham.
Valencia’s potential departure means that West Ham will need to replace the forward. The latest attacker to be linked with a move to East London is the experienced Éder, 28. He will hopefully provide more firepower to West Ham’s attack. The Brazilian-born Italian international has made 222 Italian league appearances since his first and only appearance for Criciúma before moving onto Empoli, Frosinone, Brescia, Cesena and now Sampdoria. Perhaps Éder is ready to seek a new experience in England and West Ham are an attractive proposition at this stage. The striker has nine goals in 31 Serie A appearances this season. Although that is not exactly prolific, his pace and work-rate is something that truly makes up for this and he would represent a good squad acquisition for West Ham. He demonstrated his quality on his international debut earlier this year in a European Championship qualifier against Bulgaria, scoring within minutes of entering the field of play.
West Ham appear firm favourites to sign Pedro Obiang for somewhere in the region of £6million despite late interest from Tottenham Hotspur, whereas the signing of Éder may prove more difficult as the Hammers face competition from the likes of Crystal Palace and Stoke City.
Things seem to be changing.