West Ham United seem to have started their turn-around in the Premier League this season as the east London club have hammered their opponents en route to winning four matches in a row. Manuel Pellegrini’s side are looking reinvigorated and have secured the ninth position in the league table after the victory in the last game against Fulham.
Pellegrini, however, would be worried about the number of injury worries he has to cope with, as the likes of Jack Wilshere, Manuel Lanzini, Marko Arnautovic and Andriy Yarmolenko are among the ones sidelined. The midfield department is the worst hit by this crisis, and the Chilean gaffer is in dire need of players who are fit enough to play.
One player, who is reportedly on his radar, is the midfield ace, Gary Medel. As cited by the Turkish outlet Milliyet, the Hammers are ready to open talks with the Turkish club Besiktas (for whom Medel currently plies his trade) to bring the player to the London Stadium in January.
In the current scenario, this move is the need of the hour for Pellegrini and his side. The Chile international has been one of the mainstays in midfield and defence for his club and country in recent times and has dished out a number of solid performances. To get his hands on such a player would be a massive boost for the Chilean gaffer.
Although Besiktas have not been able to achieve anything significant this season, Medel has been the standout performer for them. His skills and ball control can be a perfect addition to the West Ham United lineup if the move goes through in January. Medel can help their midfield cope up in the absence of key players like Lanzini and Wilshere.
The 31-year-old player held the Besiktas midfield together this season, having played 24 matches so far, amounting to a staggering 2034 minutes in total. This is evidence enough to understand the capability of the versatile midfielder, who can play both as a defensive midfielder and as a centre back.
The West Ham fans should be ecstatic with the current performance of their side, but we should all remember that the business end of the season is yet to arrive. So getting an experienced campaigner like Medel in their team, who is a perfect fit in both the 4-4-2 as well as the 4-1-4-1 formations applied by Pellegrini this season, would be a grand bargain. He will undoubtedly give them an edge over the opposition and a world of stability to both his midfield and defence for Pellegrini.
