OPINION
Central midfield is one of the major issues at West Ham United at the moment, as Manuel Pellegrini’s unit has been ravaged by injury.
Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere are out at the moment, leaving Mark Noble, Declan Rice and Pedro Obiang as the only options available to the Chilean.
With Noble suspended for one more game, it’s become clear that the Hammers are far too light in the middle of the park.
With that said the team should look at targeting Chelsea flop Tiemoue Bakayoko, who Calcio Mercato reported recently that Fulham had asked Chelsea if they could take the player on loan.
Bakayoko struggled to get to grips with English football during his debut season at Stamford Bridge last campaign, and hasn’t caught fire since joining AC Milan on loan this term.
Calcio Mercato’s report claims that the Italian side will not take up their option to purchase Bakayoko permanently, meaning that he could be available to the Hammers come next summer.
The Frenchman has struggled in the last couple of years, but he remains a tremendous talent who looked like a world beater when he was at Monaco. Rice has emerged as a terrific defensive midfielder this term, but pairing him with Bakyoko could take him to the next level.
The 24-year-old is big and powerful and has the capabilities to take over a game in midfield. He just needs someone to restore his confidence, and we’ve seen Pellegrini do that with Robert Snodgrass and Pablo Zabaleta this season.
If the former Manchester City boss can do the same for Bakayoko then West Ham could be on to a winner. The midfielder still has masses of untapped potential, and will feel he has something to prove after flopping at Chelsea.
This is the sort of move that could see West Ham go to the next level, and is similar to their signings of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko this summer. It’s something the club must consider moving forward.
