OPINION
West Ham must use Everton’s reported pursuit of Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele to get Morgan Schneiderlin cheaply in January.
Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini has seen injury deplete his midfield options this season and needs to welcome new midfielders in the winter to ease his troubles.
Schneiderlin is the ideal option for the Hammers to pursue as the Toffees will no doubt be willing to do a deal with their Premier League rivals in order to get the 29-year-old off their books as quick as possible.
The Toffees midfielder hasn’t made Marco Silva’s squad for the past five league games and given that he earns a staggering £120,000-a-week (Source:Spotrac), the club are likely to be aided in their pursuit of new players by getting him off their books to see their wage bill dramatically lowered.
This is especially the case as the Toffees are pursuing Ndombele, according to the Liverpool Echo, as the player not only has a £40million price tag but also has been linked with Manchester City recently.
The Toffees will no doubt have to offer him a lucrative contract to lure the France international to Goodison Park and it will be easier for them to do that without an unneeded big earner like Schneiderlin on their books.
The Hammers previously tried to sign the Toffees midfielder last January and were ready to pay £20million for him according to Sky Sports but were unable get a deal done.
Given that the London club will likely avoid to splashing too much cash in the winter window after spending big in the summer, they need to target cheap but quality options.
When you consider Schneiderlin’s big wage and the fact he hasn’t been used lately, the Hammers should be able to get him cheaply if they use the Toffees’ desire to chase a player such as Ndombele.
The Toffees 29-year-old has plenty of Premier League experience, he’s played 177 times in the league, and he clearly at the very least would provide much needed cover in the Hammers midfield.
Therefore the London club must attempt to get Schneiderlin cheaply by using the Toffees pursuit of 21-year-old Ndombele as it seems like a deal could be viable.
