OPINION
West Ham must hijack the reported race to sign Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas as it will make it very clear that Manuel Pellegrini means business at the London Stadium.
According to the Daily Mirror, due to the 31-year-old midfield maestro’s £156,000-a-week Blues contract (Source: Spotrac) expiring in the summer and because he has fallen down the pecking order at the club, the Spaniard could move on from Stamford Bridge.
The newspaper claim that Atletico Madrid and AC Milan are among the teams chasing him, but the Hammers may be able to successfully hijack the race to sign him if they get involved as he might like to remain in the Premier League.
Fabregas has only feature four times for Chelsea this season but given he is still as talented as ever and his contract means he could be available without a transfer fee being paid shortly, then the Hammers must pounce.
The 31-year-old midfield magician is able to carve open his opponents’ defence with his pinpoint passes and is able to bypass the opposition to find space to operate in due to seeing things before they develop.
Fabregas may be the wrong side of 30 but it would still be a bold move by the Hammers that would see everyone of their Premier League rivals sit up and take notice.
There are few players who have Fabregas’ fantastic passing range and there are even fewer that also have plenty of Premier League experience to go with that attribute.
The midfield maestro has scored 50 goals, while registering a staggering 112 assists, in 344 Premier League appearances and with a player of his calibre in toe, the Hammers would put the Premier League on notice about their lofty ambitions under Pellegrini by snapping him up.
Therefore Pellegrini’s side simply must get involved with the reported pursuit of Fabregas, especially with time ticking down on his contract, as he could be a very bit hit at the London Stadium.
