OPINION
Manuel Pellegrini’s reported desire to have young players with pace feature in his West Ham team spells trouble for midfielder Mark Noble next season.
ExWHUemployee, which is an insider source that provides reliable Hammers information from on Twitter, exclusively claimed on Tuesday that Pellegrini would not look to bring Yaya Toure to the London Stadium as he wanted young players with pace.
Exclusive: Toure is not someone that Pellegrini wants to sign! He wants young players with pace.
— ExWHUEmployee (@ExWHUEmployee) May 22, 2018
While Pellegrini’s wish was revealed in regards to what he is looking for when welcoming a new face, it’s easy to surmise that he will want young players across the board, which will see the Hammers’ ageing squad receive an overhaul.
One player who is unfortunately at risk due to this desire is none over than Mark Noble.
The Hammers midfielder, who has risen all the way from the academy to be a staple of the first-team for many seasons, now looks doomed before a ball is even kicked under his new manager.
Noble, 31, has made 440 career appearances for the Hammers, scoring 51 goals, while creating 53 to see himself loved by faithful supporters as he clearly carries the club in his heart.
However the veteran midfielder proved last season with his displays, that the days of him ever being considered speedy were long past him as Father Time had clearly started his pursuit of the veteran.
The majority of Noble’s performances in his 33 appearances during the recently concluded season were not good enough, as his lack of mobility was exposed time and time again by his opponents.
While the 31-year-old rose to the occasion in the final few games of the season to help his side avoid relegation, which included him scoring a beautiful goal against Leicester City, it’s unclear whether that was a temporary resurrection or a complete career revival.
Noble due to his displays in the Hammers’ latest campaign already had to start next season proving he still warrants a first-team place, but with new boss Pellegrini looking for young pacer options, his status of being a regular starter already looks doomed.
While it would be reckless for Pellegrini to bin the loyal servant completely from the club, fans would be in uproar, it seems he’s more than likely set to be on the bench for the next campaign, unless he can change the experienced manager’s vision in pre-season.
