OPINION
West Ham fans can breathe easy as a reliable report claimed that midfielder Pedro Obiang was not about to be loaned or sold this summer.
Claret & Hugh stated that a Hammers insider had informed them that Manuel Pellegrini had plans for the 6ft 1in tall 26-year-old (Transfermarkt) and that the club weren’t looking to bin him in this window despite reported interest.
It was previously claimed by the Daily Mail that Obiang was keen on returning to Italy with Sampdoria chasing his services and that talks regarding his exit had reached an advanced stage.
While Pellegrini has welcomed several new faces to the London Stadium this summer, it would still be a shame if the 26-year-old midfielder was to depart anytime soon.
Obiang has steadily improved during his time with the Hammers and now looks to be a capable player when featuring in the Premier League.
The central midfielder flourished in the first half of his 2017/18 campaign but unfortunately went on to lose all his momentum due to suffering an unfortunate knee injury that kept him rooted on the sidelines for a significant period of time.
Given that former manager David Moyes previously struggled to have enough midfield options at the club to choose from, the Hammers still shouldn’t be looking to ditch a talented midfielder this summer.
While Pellegrini has more midfielders to choose from due to the club’s summer spending spree, it’s no guarantee that they’re all going able to settle in quickly in order to hit the ground running.
Even if they do then it still feels odd for Obiang to be instantly pushed out of the picture as he could get even better from working with an experienced manager like Pellegrini.
West Ham supporters previously reacted negatively on social media to the idea that Atalanta had submitted a low offer for their club’s midfielder, as reported by Bergamo Corriere Della Sera, with one even suggesting that Cheikhou Kouyaté should pack his bags instead of Obiang.
However it seems that based on the trusted update courtesy of Claret & Hugh, Hammers supporters can breathe easy as their club are reportedly not set to bin Obiang in the current transfer window.
