OPINION
West Ham midfielder Edimilson Fernandes is reportedly close to joining Serie A side Fiorentina on loan and the Hammers must halt this plan to see him exit immediately.
Sky Sports Italy reporter Gianluca Di Marzio claimed via his personal website that the 22-year-old Switzerland international was close to joining Fiorentina after they offered to pay £810,000 to take him on loan for the season.
The potential loan deal would also include a clause for them to be able to purchase Fernandes on a permanent basis for £7.2million next year.
With Gianluca Di Marzio reporting that talks appear to be entering their final stages, the Hammers may have foolish already accepted this deal.
However the Hammers must stop the midfielder’s potential exit in its tracks as it’s too risky to approve of a deal that will see him potentially leave the club on a permanent basis.
Manuel Pellegrini is wise to loan the 22-year-old out as he needs regular playing time to continue his development and build up his fitness after having an injury-hit 2017/18 campaign.
Yet the player showed signs last season that he was worthy of being a regular face in West Ham’s squad if he was able to consistently deliver the goods and get over his injury issues that kept holding him back.
The 22-year-old can play in a variety of positions, is a sublime passer of the ball, can retain possession for his side by shielding the ball from his opponents and could still get better given his age.
Fernandes who earns £30,000-a-week at the Hammers (Source: Spotrac) played 16 times for the senior side last season and had a very memorable performance during the 3-0 victory over Southampton in March.
The midfielder played 81 minutes of that game, which was an important match in the fight against relegation, and was a key reason why his side earned a valuable three points on that occasion.
Given that Fernandes has a hard-working mentality on the pitch then surely he will continue to put in the work needed in order to fulfil his vast potential.
Therefore it’s a risk for the Hammers to sanction a deal where a club could secure his services for £7.2million as he seems to be on course to becoming a worthwhile player.
This all means that the Hammers should halt Fernandes’ move to Fiorentina as he should only be allowed to exit on a temporary basis with there being no clause in a potential deal to make the move permanent.
