West Ham United have managed a brilliant coup for free as they recently secured the signing of former Fulham fullback Ryan Fredericks. The 25-year-old had an impressive season with the Cottagers as he helped them secure a move to the Premier League and previously it was expected that the Englishman will sign a new contract with them if they secure a promotion. However, the Hammers came up and snapped him up before things could settle and it is certain now he will turn out at the London Stadium for next season.
Fredericks seemed delighted with the move and said,” It’s amazing for this deal to finally happen. I know we’ve been speaking about it for a while and trying to get things in place and finally, we’ve got it over the line. I’m just buzzing to be here. West Ham United is one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League. Everyone knows the history of West Ham and there’s a lot of factors that brought me to the club.”
The right-back just missed four of Fulham’s 52 games and was a constant feature for them down the right-hand side. He did both his defensive and attacking duties well and will certainly boost Manuel Pellegrini’s options in defence.
Even the Chilean manager seemed satisfied by his clubs new acquisition. He went on to comment on the new signing and said,” I am very pleased to welcome Ryan to West Ham United as our first signing this summer. He joins having had a successful season with Fulham and is a player who will bring great qualities to our squad.
“He has good experience, with more than 150 senior appearances already but, at 25, he is still a young player with his best years ahead of him.”- he further added.
The signing has certainly brought a lot of competition for places as Pellegrini has Pablo Zabaleta who can play in the right-back role and along with him, Arthur Masuaku can be used as an option there.
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It remains to be seen what kind of tactics Pellegrini will use as we saw David Moyes use the system of three centre-backs and two wingbacks. Pellegrini might shift to a traditional four-at-the-back system and that could mean Fredericks will have to be disciplined in his defensive duties. Sometimes he is reckless in his challenges and at the top level, there will be less margin for error. The Chilean tactician will also have to decide upon who will be the preferred first choice option and it might very well happen that Fredericks will have to bide his time on the bench initially before he gets a place in the first eleven.
