OPINION
West Ham have been linked with Turkish defensive midfielder Okay Yokuslu who currently plays his football in La Liga with Celta Vigo.
According to Turkish Football, the 25-year old has reportedly been linked heavily with a move to the London Stadium, but this isn’t a move that Manuel Pellegrini should be considering.
In fact the Hammers should halt their reported pursuit.
The midfielder has been fairly impressive this season for the Spanish side, and helped them in their bid for La Liga survival this season.
However, Yokulsu is no more impressive than players who are already at the club, the main example being Declan Rice who plays in the same position as the Turkish international.
To compare the two, Yokuslu has averaged 2.1 tackles per game in La Liga this season, falling short of Rice who has averaged 2.9 tackles per game in the Premier League this season.
In addition, the Englishman only registered 0.5 fouls per game on average this season, in comparison to the 1.4 fouls per game for Yokuslu.
The stats don’t lie, and arguably it would be silly for Pellegrini to make a move for a defensive midfielder who is unproven, and quite possibly a worse fit for the defensive midfielder position than what the Hammers have already got at their disposal.
Both players have recorded two league goals this season in their respective leagues, however this won’t be the main talking point considering both players usually have the job of defending rather than attacking.
It’s also worth noting that Yokuslu is 25 years of age, and the Hammers already have a similar players who is five years younger at the age of 20.
In conclusion, it wouldn’t make sense for West Ham to go in for a player from another league, especially when they have a player like Rice who is younger, proven in the Premier League, and already cemented as a West Ham player.
