Opinions

Mario mistake from Hammers

|
Image for Mario mistake from Hammers

OPINION

It is fair to say that Joao Mario had a mixed experience at West Ham during his loan spell from Inter Milan this season.

The Portugal international endured a slow start at the London Stadium but began to show real glimpses of his quality towards the end of the season.

The 25-year-old ended up scoring some important goals for the Hammers, and the club faithful were beginning to warm to the attacking midfielder.

Then the season ended and his spell came to an end, with attention immediately turning to whether the club would decide to move for him permanently this summer.

Initial reports were promising, with the suggestion that the club were to chase another loan deal for the playmaker before committing to a permanent deal later on.

Insider site Claret and Hugh have however poured cold water on these rumours, claiming that these reports were totally inaccurate, with the club pursuing new targets under Manuel Pellegrini.

If this is true then the Hammers are making a massive error.

They had only begun to scratch the surface of Mario’s potential in the Premier League this season, with his impressive play emerging on a more consistent basis towards the end of the season.

The possibility of having pre-season with the club would have helped Mario continue this into the new campaign, and the Hammers would have had a serious player on their hands.

Inter are said to be asking for £25million for the Euro 2016 winner, and in today’s market, that is a reasonable price for a 25-year old international star.

As it is however the club seem to be chasing other targets, ones who will not know the club as well as Mario already does.

That is not to say these targets will not become brilliant players at West Ham, but a swoop for Mario makes more sense for the club at the moment.

Share this article