After a season of little progress under David Moyes, West Ham United managed to land Manuel Pellegrini to take charge of the club next season. The former Premier League winning manager with Manchester City has already started rebuilding the squad and has been linked with a number of exciting targets this summer.
But one player that continues to be on their radar is Manchester United star Marouane Fellaini.
Fellaini To Decide His Future Next Month:
The former Everton midfielder joined Manchester United along with David Moyes back in 2013 but failed to make enough of an impact to start regularly under Jose Mourinho now. He is out of a contract at the end of June and will be a free agent, with the likes of Arsenal and West Ham United interested in his services.
Jose Mourinho is still interested in keeping him at Old Trafford but Fellaini has now announced that he will decide on his future on the 1st of July after his contract expires. So should Pellegrini be making a move?
Fellaini And His Versatility:
He started his senior career with Standard Liege in Belgium, before moving to England for the first time with Everton. He had five decent seasons at Goodison Park, scoring 25 league goals, starting games as a striker on numerous occasions. He followed Moyes to Old Trafford in 2013 but failed to score a single league goal in his first season at the club.
He slowly reverted to a support striker and then into a midfielder, where he found decent consistency in the 2016-17 season under Mourinho. Strong and athletic, with a keen eye for goal, Fellaini is dominating in the air and is adept at making interceptions in the middle of the park.
He can fall deep when needed, to add numbers to the backline and is a trusted aid to Mourinho, who brought him off the bench 11 times last season, mostly to protect leads. But he is also effective in search of a late goal, adding bodies in the final third. He wins most balls in the air and can be a nuisance at both ends of the field. So he will be a decent acquisition for West Ham.
Where Does He Fit In?
Pellegrini wants his side to play free-flowing football but the magic of his success at Etihad was his use of a pair of strikers, keeping the opposition backline occupied. He has Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll who can play as strikers, while Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio can play as a support striker but Fellaini will add options to both roles while also adding a number to their midfield.
Mark Noble and Chiekhou Kouyate add decent mettle to the midfield for the Hammers but Fellaini adds another dimension to their squad and adds more balance to the first XI.
At 30, he has loads of experience in England and will take no time to settle into the first team. He will want to play regular football so West Ham need to make sure that he is a crucial part of their plan if they are determined to sign him.
Stats Courtesy: Whoscored