West Ham United are considering a loan move for a midfielder as their final summer signing, according to The Daily Mail.
The newspaper claims that Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini is keen to bring in another player in the middle of the park, having already completed the deadline day signing of striker Albian Ajeti from Basel.
Meanwhile, The Daily Star claim that the east London outfit were looking at full backs this summer but missed out on securing anything substantial, despite looking at loans and free agents as well.
OPINION
This has been a phenomenal summer transfer window for West Ham, so any extra signings on Thursday beyond Ajeti are going to be a bonus for the supporters. You would assume, although it’s not stated explicitly in the Mail’s report, that it’s a central midfielder that the Irons are targeting. There are plenty of attacking midfielders already at the club, to the extent that young starlet Grady Diangana is likely to be sent out on loan, and so this is surely a central midfielder – hopefully a defensive-minded one – that the club are looking at. The Hammers, despite their terrific window, are far too reliant on holding midfielder Declan Rice. If the England international goes down then there’s only veteran Carlos Sanchez as a back up defensive midfielder. That’s not exactly a full-proof solution, and so a new midfielder would be nice. As for the full back situation, Pellegrini’s team are pretty well stocked at the moment, with youngster Ben Johnson looking like a tremendous prospect.
