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Obiang included in pre-season squad

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OPINION

A pre-season can be used for many different reasons, with West Ham currently in Austria before travelling to China at the weekend.

Manuel Pellegrini will currently be assessing his squad, with certain players completing their final pre-season and youngsters being given the chance to prove they are ready for the Premier League next season.

The Hammers don’t necessarily need to sell some of their squad after the sale of Austrian forward Marko Arnautovic at the beginning of the week, with Sky Sports reporting the deal was worth £22.4million.

West Ham confirmed their squad for the Premier League Asia Trophy on their official club website on Wednesday morning, with Pedro Obiang being included in the list.

This would come as a surprise to many, with the Spaniard being tipped to leave the London Stadium this summer after only making 12 starts for the Hammers last season.

Claret and Hugh reported earlier in the transfer window that West Ham had slapped an £8million price-tag on the central midfielder.

What makes his inclusion even more of a surprise, is the fact that many Italian clubs have reportedly been lining up in an effort to take Obiang off the Hammers’ books.

The latest club to show an interest in Obiang is Sassuolo, with Gianluca Di Marzio reporting that Serie A club are hoping to beat Fiorentina to his signature.

West Ham are surely delaying the sale of the 27-year-old this summer by including him in their pre-season squad and should have left the Spaniard at home next week.

Obiang wasn’t exactly in good form when selected last season, with now the right time to confirm his exit. The midfielder only averaged 0.5 interceptions per game alongside 0.6 clearances and 0.4 blocks. [WhoScored] Those stats only highlight the lack of presence Obiang added to the Hammers midfield.

Pellegrini should have cut ties with the 27-year-old, with his exit surely inevitable before, during or after the pre-season tour to China.

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