According to latest reports, West Ham are supposedly close to a shock 1-year deal for former Liverpool and Real Madrid full-back Alvaro Arbeloa. The free agent is holding talks ahead of a medical for the London Stadium outfit. The Spanish International has represented his National team on 56 occasions and has won the World Cup, Euro Cup and the Confederations Cup!
West Ham have been short on their defensive reserves especially their right-back area since last season and the problem has persisted them till the last day of the transfer window. Mikhail Antonio has had to deputise at right-back and even though he has fared reasonably well, it is a known fact that his presence will always be put to better use higher up the pitch. And his defensive attributes in and around the box are always a tad sketchy as evidenced by the penalty he gave way against Chelsea in the opening weekend. Though West Ham have high hopes for this season, they have started off on a miserable note with their exit from the Europa League qualifications and have kicked off theirLeague campaign tepidly.
It was all hunky dory at the start of the summer. With their star players performing admirably and the Hammers managing to tie down the likes of Payet, Lanzini and Cresswell to long-term deal along with the anticipation of a new venue, it was a celebratory time for them. But three weeks into the season and things are a stark contrast to then. With a hectic summer taking a toll on various players with injuries to Cresswell and Andre Ayew along with their failure to sign a high-profile striker, things haven’t gone as planned. This has left the fans a little disillusioned and though the signing of Arbeloa isn’t going to pacify them totally, it does represent a good deal for the club.
Alvaro Arbeloa will provide them a perfect short-term solution. With their advances for Aston Villa player Micah Richards seemingly hitting a snag, the club have decided to approach the player. Arbeloa made 233 appearances for Real Madrid during his second spell with the Spanish giants, but he only featured nine times last season before departing on a free transfer at the end of the 2015-16 campaign.
He will bring a wealth of experience and will be a perfect mentor for Sam Byram. He had previously spent a few seasons at Liverpool between 2007-09 and will be aware of the demands of the league. His technical ability and composure on the ball will allow for a more constructive pattern of play and while he isn’t expected to play week-in-week-out, it might be blessing in disguise allowing Byram to develop further instead of his growth getting stagnated.
