OPINION
West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini did a good job of improving the centre of his defence this summer with the signings of Fabian Balbuena and Issa Diop.
Both men have taken to the Premier League like ducks to water, with Diop particularly impressing so far this season. The unit could be improved even further, however, by the signing of Manchester United man Phil Jones.
The England international will be out of contract at Old Trafford in the summer and faces an uncertain future under the increasingly tyrannical regime of manager Jose Mourinho.
If the Red Devils decide to discard him then West Ham should enter the hunt, either in the summer or by getting a jump on their rivals with a January bid for the player.
Pellegrini could ensure he gets his man in the winter transfer window rather than risk losing out on him to another club next summer by negotiating a cut price deal for the 26-year-old.
Jones’s current United contract is worth a reported £50,000-per-week [Source: Spotrac], a sum that would be easily affordable for the Hammers. He would slot perfectly into the team’s defence, and despite Balbuena’s strong showings thus far, would provide an instant upgrade on the Paraguayan.
The former Blackburn man is one of the more divisive characters in English football, but his ability has been obvious for many years now.
Sir Alex Ferguson is a fine judge of talent, and he deemed Jones worthy of a £17million investment in 2011. He is a solid defender, with underrated passing ability.
The Hammers aren’t overly stocked in the position, either. Winston Reid is currently out long term, leaving just Angelo Ogbonna backing up the first choice duo.
West Ham would be getting Jones’s peak years, and it’s likely that the player could experience a career reinvention at the club similar to the one enjoyed by his former United team mate Jonny Evans at West Brom.
Some supporters may disagree, feeling that Jones is overrated and cartoonish, but this would be a shrewd move from Pellegrini as he looks to take the club to the next level.
