In a recent report, Calciomercato claimed that West Ham United remain keen on signing Juventus left-back Luca Pellegrini in January. It is understood that the Hammers are eyeing a loan move to land the Italian defensive ace during the winter transfer period.
Pellegrini’s Unimpressive Loan Spell At Genoa Last Season
The Roma-born talent endured an injury-plagued loan spell at Genoa last season when he missed a lot of key games due to multiple injuries. Pellegrini featured in 12 matches for the Italian outfit in the previous campaign, registering one assist and three yellow cards on all fronts.
The 22-year-old struggled to be consistent with his performances on the left flank as he averaged 0.8 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, 0.9 clearances, 0.5 shots, 0.7 key passes and 1.6 dribbles per game in the 2020-21 Serie A campaign. He was also a bit sloppy with his ball distribution after making 73.9% of his attempted passes in league football (stats via whoscored).
At the moment, Pellegrini is not getting enough minutes at his parent club Juventus, so it makes a lot of sense for the player to seek a move to a club like West Ham in search of more game time in the second half of this campaign.
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Is Pellegrini The Right Choice For West Ham?
Pellegrini has decent pace in his locker and can make some promising runs with the ball down the left wing. He can be a reliable presence on the defensive end of the field when he is playing well on the pitch.
The one-time Italy international usually works his socks off for the benefit of his teammates but has often been guilty of being inconsistent with his all-around contributions on the pitch. Frequent injuries have also disrupted his progress in Italian football over the past 18 months.
Hence, Pellegrini will be a risky option for West Ham boss David Moyes to consider this winter. The Hammers have currently got Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku vying for a left-back berth at the London Stadium. Furthermore, both Vladimír Coufal and Ben Johnson can fill in as makeshift left-backs if needed.
With all things considered, Pellegrini won’t be a good choice for the East London outfit to consider even on a six-month loan deal as he is far too inconsistent and injury-prone to succeed in Premier League football.
