David Moyes has been a busy man since the turn of the year as his West Ham side are looking to add fresh faces to a depleted squad at the London Stadium. The manager is desperate to add to his options in the midfield and this has seen him linked with some exciting stars recently.
However, Moyes has all but confirmed their first signing of the month, in his recent press conference. Speaking the West Ham official site, the former Everton manager revealed that his side are close to landing Inter Milan star Joao Mario this month.
Moyes himself said that Mario is set to have a medical in the upcoming days and will be unveiled as a West Ham player before the end of the month. He will move to England on loan and West Ham will hope that he can help them break into the top half of the points table. But what will Mario bring to the squad in London?
A part of the EURO16 winning Portuguese national side, Joao Mario is a central midfielder, who can put in a shift in an attacking or a defensive role in the midfield. Though not great in finding the back of the net, the 25-year old is a gifted player, who can get past his man with ease in the midfield.
He is effective in transition play and loves to create chances for runners ahead of him, which he has been able to do to good effect in Italy. He moved to Inter Milan from Sporting CP at the start of the previous season and has already managed 44 Serie A appearances, where he has notched up 3 goals and 10 assists to his name.
He also has 31 appearances for the national and is a crucial part of the squad. However, he has just 5 starts in the current campaign, missing a few games with injuries.
At his age, his understanding of the game allows him to make interceptions in dangerous areas, which improves his side’s chances in front of goal. He is a match winner on his day and is an upgrade on most options in the current squad at West Ham.
Veteran midfielder Mark Noble does not seem to be an option for David Moyes, who has stuck with Chiekhou Kouyate, Pedro Obiang, Edimilson Fernandes and Declan Rice as options in the midfield. Mario brings more to the game than any of those names.
He is effective outside both boxes and will act as the wheel around which the West Ham squad can play. If Moyes can get his side to play to the Portuguese midfielder’s strengths, they will turn into a serious threat for the best teams in England.
