OPINION
West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini isn’t inundated with central midfield options at the moment, making Edimilson Fernandes a tantalising possibility for the Chilean.
The 22-year-old has excelled on loan at Serie A side Fiorentina this season and it would be a surprise if the Italian outfit didn’t make a permanent move for him in the summer.
However, it would be a major mistake for the Hammers to part with the Switzerland international. On Thursday Football London included Fernandes on a list of 10 players who could be allowed to leave the East London outfit at the end of the season.
Football London’s report claims that Pellegrini’s side could make £9million if they sell the midfielder, but the West Ham boss would be wise to spurn that potential windfall.
Fernandes has never made much of an impression at the London Stadium, but it’s easy to forget how young he is. He’s 22 years of age now, meaning that his time with the Hammers so far has all been conducted in the very early stages of his professional career.
He’s only going to get better moving forward and, indeed, he has shown signs of massive potential this campaign. He has made big progress in Florence and has certainly shown that he’s capable of making an impact for West Ham.
Declan Rice and Mark Noble appear to be the only central midfielders trusted by Pellegrini at the moment, while Robert Snodgrass sometimes features in the middle of the park. But, beyond that, there aren’t many options in the middle of the park regularly utilised by the Chilean.
Fernandes could fill that gap. He is a technically proficient, rangy midfielder who can go from box to box. In short, he’s the ideal partner to Rice.
It would be a colossal blunder for West Ham to cash in on Fernandes this summer. He’s just now showing that he has the talent to make a major impact in East London.
