West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has revealed that the club did not sign free agent Yaya Toure because he felt he had enough options in midfield already, with the two parties holding talks over the summer.
Former Manchester City midfielder Toure has been heavily linked with the Hammers this summer as he searches for a new club, but is reportedly closing in on a return to Greek side Olympiakos.
The Ivorian’s agent, Dimitri Seluk, fired shots at the Hammers this week when confirming he would not be moving to the London Stadium, saying “last place is not for him,” and Pellegrini has now revealed the club’s stance on the situation.
Speaking in the pre-match press conference before their clash with Wolves this weekend, Pellegrini said, as quoted by Sky Sports (12:54): “Unfortunately they were the words of Yaya’s agent. I spoke to Yaya, I know him and appreciate him as a person. He is a very good player but in the moment when we were doing our squad list, that position was covered for other players.
“We need money to bring in players in other positions so we explained to Yaya clearly why he cannot come here. I hope he will find a good club, a big club because he is a very good player.”
Midfield powerhouse Toure, who stands at 6ft 2in [Transfermarkt], now looks set to return to Olympiakos after Seluk revealed he had passed a medical with his new club.
OPINION
Reports linking Toure and West Ham began early in the summer window as the press latched on to a potential reunion between Pellegrini and his former player. The duo won a Premier League title together at Manchester City and coming back together at West Ham would certainly have been an exciting proposition for the Hammers faithful. However, there was always going to be issues with the move. Toure’s advancing age and lack of first-team football in recent years brings into question his ability to still make an impact in the Premier League, and also will have posed problems for club bosses, who would have been wary of his high wages and lack of sell-on value. As it stands, the Hammers do have plenty of options in midfield, and deciding against a move for Toure does look a sensible option. However, if the season continues in such a poor manner, then the presence of a serial winner may have been required after all.
