According to Sky Sports, West Ham United are interested in the services of Gary Medel as they aim to shore up their midfield in January.
The Besiktas midfielder has been an ever-present figure for the Turkish giants since last season.
We take a look at the pros and cons of Medel’s potential move to West Ham.
Pros
Medel is a seasoned campaigner with a vast amount of experience in European top flight. In fact, he also has the experience of playing in the Premier League, making 34 appearances during his time with Cardiff City. And this experience would be handy if he returns to England this season.
The Chilean is a robust midfielder, which makes a world of sense for West Ham as they have Declan Rice as their only reliable option in defensive midfield.
Medel has impressed in the Turkish Superlig so far, averaging over one interception and 3.5 tackles per game. He is also a dogged defender, having made as many as 35 clearances in just 13 league games.
Thus, his presence will add more security to the West Ham midfield and most importantly, allow the attack-minded midfielders to become more expressive in the final third.
Additionally, both Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere have struggled with injuries this campaign. Therefore, the addition of Medel will add some much-needed depth to the midfield department, ultimately giving Pellegrini more options at his disposal.
Cons
While Medel is a decent option for West Ham if they are to add more steel into their midfield department, his addition will also force Pellegrini to make some tactical adjustments.
Rice has been an ever-present figure for the Hammers this season and is an automatic choice in the starting lineup, but accommodating Medel in the might need a change in set-up, to a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Although the former Inter midfielder has attained an impressive passing accuracy of 89% this season, he lacks variation in terms of his passes and starting him ahead of someone like Pedro Obiang or even Wilshere, when the two are fit, might significantly decrease West Ham’s creativity and drive in the midfield.
And finally, Medel isn’t the same player he once was under Jorge Sampaoli, so the fast-paced nature of the Premier League could be too much for him to handle.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
