OPINION
Sky Sports football expert Tim Vickery was asked about West Ham’s link to Gustavo Cuellar and shared what the Hammers could expect from the 26-year-old if they signed him.
The South American football expert, who frequently appears on Sky Sports’ website, was asked about the Hammers signing Cuellar and revealed he was a mobile, tigerish player who had been featuring as a holding midfielder at Flamengo.
Vickery claimed that Cuellar moving to the Hammers was a possibility as the 26-year-old clearly wanted to leave Flamengo.
“He’s a central midfielder who can be the second man in midfield, he’s become a holding midfielder at Flamengo,” said Vickery on talkSPORT (15:40, Wednesday, July 24th).
“He’s mobile, he’s tigerish, he’s got a good first pass out of defence, and he clearly wants to leave Flamengo.
“So that’s one is a possibility, he’s not going to be a world-beater and West Ham do already have a very promising player featuring in that position so you wonder how many first-team opportunities he will get there.
“But he is a player who could be a useful squad member.”
Brazilian journalist Gustavo Henrique previously claimed in May, via Twitter, that the Irons had made a big-money move for Cuellar but reliable Hammers source Claret & Hugh went on to claim a deal wasn’t on the cards.
Yet seeing as the link seems to have resurfaced through Vickery again and the fact that he believes the midfielder could be a useful squad member, clearly the Hammers would benefit from signing him?
Cuellar has averaged a rating of 6.84 across his six league outings for Flamengo this season, having an impressive pass completion rate of 93.3% in the process. (Source: WhoScored)
The defensive midfielder, who is known for his strong tackling and passing ability according to the Hammers, also wowed in his one appearance a the recent Copa America for Colombia as he won Man of the Match based off that display.
Also, Cuellar would clearly be a signing that Manuel Pellegrini would benefit from based on the fact that Hammers midfielder Pedro Obiang is expected to exit the club soon.
Gianluca Di Marzio previously reported that Obiang was set to complete a move to Italian club Sassulo by Friday, and it’s clear the Hammers need a replacement for him, and based on Vickery’s verdict, Cuellar fits the bill.
