According to the reports from L’Equipe (via GFFN), West Ham United are interested in signing Monaco’s attacking midfielder Rony Lopes. The Ligue 1 outfit are said to be willing to sell their player for somewhere between €25m to €30m. Clubs like Sevilla, Valencia, Everton and Newcastle United are also said to be interested.
The former Manchester City player made 29 appearances in all competitions last season and contributed with four goals and two assists. The attacking midfielder was at Manchester City from 2011 to 2015, but given the talent they had, he wasn’t able to break into their lineup. Lopes only managed to make five competitive appearances for the Citizens in his time at the club.
Does West Ham United need an attacking midfielder?
It’s slightly surprising to see West Ham being linked with an attacking midfielder. The club recently spent big money to land Pablo Fornals who is likely to play in an attacking midfield role. Moreover, Manuel Lanzini and Felipe Anderson could also provide those creative sparks in the team in the attacking third. It remains to be seen how Lanzini would go about his business after a lengthy injury spell.
Given the options which Pellegrini has, even Lopes might have second thoughts about moving to the London Stadium as he wouldn’t be guaranteed game time at the club.
What can Lopes bring to the table and should Pellegrini make a move?
The two times Portugal international can play on the right-wing as well given his pace and dribbling skills. He is quick and agile and can turn with ease while taking on defenders. Lopes is also known for his impressive work rate as he helps his team by tracking back.
One of the significant drawbacks of signing Lopes is that he could struggle to cope with the physicality of the Premier League and the Monaco player might be shrugged off the ball a bit too easily. Nevertheless, he would have been a decent signing for the Hammers if they didn’t have some top options for the attacking midfield position. Lopes is a live wire in and around the box, and he always looks to make things happen in the final third.
Moreover, €25m-€30m is a decent sum, and the Hammers should probably look to invest it somewhere else. A lot is expected out of Fornals this season. When Lanzini gets in the groove, he could be a dangerous player as well so Pellegrini should give this signing a miss even though Lopes is a talented option.
