West Ham United midfielder Pedro Obiang will complete his move to Sassuolo by Friday, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
The Sky Sports Italy journalist claimed on his website that the Hammers will swap documents with the Serie A club on Monday which will see the Spaniard all but complete his summer move this week.
Gianluca Di Marzio reports that negotiations have now been closed and the transfer will be worth a fee in the region of £7.1million (8million Euros).
Obiang will leave the London Stadium after falling out of favour with Manuel Pellegrini, who preferred the more defensive pairing of Declan Rice and Mark Noble. The 27-year-old only managed to make 12 starts in the Premier League last season.
OPINION
This deal has been on the verge for weeks now, with the Spaniard having not been fancied for the previous year at West Ham. Pellegrini clearly favours Rice and Noble, and the fact that Jack Wilshere has emerged in pre-season looking back to his best could have played a big factor in the Chilean’s decision to allow him to leave. Having said that, it could be a decision that the Hammers and Pellegrini come to regret next season. Both Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez are injury-prone having both missed the majority of last season, and should those injuries happen again, the Hammers could be left short in midfield. Obiang has always been a solid option for West Ham to call upon in their time of need, and last season was no different as the Spaniard averaged 3.3 tackles every 90 minutes he played. On top of that, he also averaged 1.2 clearances and blocked 1.4 short passes per 90 minutes he played [WhoScored]. With Wilshere being more attacking, Sanchez will be the club’s most defensive-minded rotation, something that if pre-season is anything to go by, Pellegrini is certain to look back at this moment and maybe regret it massively.
