West Ham United’s dreadful league run has put tremendous pressure on manager Slaven Bilic and the Croatian is desperately looking to get in players this January, who could directly go to the first team. Consequently, many Premier League flops have been linked to the Hammers, and the latest one to emerge is Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini.
The Belgian midfielder had started the season very much in the manager’s plans but has since then failed to make any real impact resulting in going down the pecking order. According to The Telegraph, West Ham United are planning to make a move for him, when the transfer window reopens next month.
The player tested the fans’ patience yet again when he came on late in the game against Everton last week only to concede the penalty right at the end, with the match ending in a draw. However, Bilic sees the player as a versatile option, who could play anywhere in the attacking third.
The 29-year-old had a tremendously successful season in Everton before making a 27 million pound move to Manchester United when Moyes replaced Ferguson. He has never really made any real impact at Old Trafford since his move in 2013 despite playing under three different managers.
However, many believe that the player has been wrongly utilised and a good tactician could get the best out of him. A good look at the figures reiterates that. Fellaini has made 11 appearances for United this season so far and has completed 425 passes with a pass accuracy of 89%, of which 73% were forward passes.
His defensive contributions have titled to the left a little as he has won only 49% of his average duels. With Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera, Morgan Schneiderlin and Michael Carrick all competing for the spot, he has to perform more consistently to get into the United playing XI.
Fellaini, however, is very strong in the air and wins most of the aerial duels in the middle of the park. His tackling and finishing prowess have taken a hit due to his lack of confidence. It is difficult to doubt the quality of a player who has scored 33 goals and registered 26 assists in 177 appearances when he was at Everton.
He might be one of those mid-table club players and West Ham United might be the perfect destination for him after all. West Ham United are fast moving towards relegation and although Bilic has the confidence of the board, they will surely look outside if the Hammers don’t bounce back by Christmas.
Staying outside the relegation zone will be the primary target the main target for Bilic at the moment and Fellaini would be a decent player to have on the team.
