West Ham’s director of football has revealed the reasons why Carlos Sanchez was signed by the club.
The 32-year-old Colombian joined from Italian side Fiorentina on deadline day.
The defensive midfielder is the Hammers 10th summer signing of the window as Manuel Pellegrini puts his stamp on the squad.
West Ham’s transfer guru Husillos has praised the new signing and explained why he was brought to the club, revealing it was his versatility which made him a worthwhile signing in the Irons’ eyes.
“Carlos is a very experienced player whose career I have always followed closely and with admiration,’ Husillos told the West Ham official website.
“He has also been a regular in the first team for Colombia for many years, and was a very important player for them at the World Cup this summer.
“He has great quality as a holding midfielder. He can also cover other positions but it is as a defensive midfielder that he really excels. He is also a fantastic professional, with great character, who will be a very good personality within the dressing room.”
OPINION
It’s the job of the club to make new signings sound good, which is exactly what Husillos is trying to do here. Let’s face it, Sanchez is not at the same level as the likes of Jack Wilshere, Felipe Anderson, Andriy Yarmolenko or Lucas Perez. However, the Hammers director of football is right, he is a good holding midfielder who can break up play and support the defensive unit in transitions and will protect the back four when the opposition is attacking. The London Stadium outfit have spent their big money on their attacking players this summer, so it’s only natural that they will need to balance this out by bringing in players who can keep the ball out at the other end. They’ve brought in Sanchez, Issa Diop, Fabian Balbuena and Ryan Fredericks to add to their defence and that will certainly turn out to be money well spent.
