Frank McAvennie heaped praise on Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish after a report claimed that West Ham were keen on signing him.
The Mirror reported on Sunday that the Villans midfielder was a transfer target for the Hammers and they were battling with Tottenham and Bournemouth for the player.
While McAvennie claimed he wouldn’t say no to signing Grealish, he did imply there maybe an issue to fitting him in Manuel Pellegrini’s team as the manager already had some very good midfielders.
“I think the boy has got talent that’s for sure,” said McAvennie on LoveSPORT Radio, as heard in a clip on their Twitter account.
“He’s got a bit about him, got a bit of swagger if you like, so West Ham could do with someone like that, someone who can come in and take them to the next level.
“I think we have some good players in midfield to be fair, I still don’t know how you’re going to get them all on the same pitch, Lanzini, Anderson, they’ve got some very good players there, some very good players in midfield.
“Then of course Declan Rice in there and Noble which is great, erm I think he is looking for players with energy so that’ll be type of player he’d be looking to bring in, and Grealish would be a good one.
“I wouldn’t say no to that.”
OPINION
McAvennie makes a very good point. Grealish is a player that could do a job for the Hammers but it’s hard to see where he would fit in the team. The midfielder likes to play in the No.10 position but that is an area of the team that Pellegrini already has capable options to choose from. Both Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson can play just behind his chosen forward and there’s not many people who’d claim Grealish was better than either of those. Perhaps the Hammers are keen on Grealish because they’re expecting to lose some midfielders in the summer, but it’s hard to know who. While Lanzini and Anderson have both been linked to clubs previously due to being standout players, it’s hard to see either packing their bags this summer. However Pellegrini clearly knows the type of player he needs and if the Hammers are in pursuit of Grealish; you’d think he’d have an idea on how to work the Englishman into his first-team plans.
