West Ham considering a move for Serbian midfield ace: Just the player Pellegrini needs?

West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Nemanja Radoja, who last played for Celta Vigo in La Liga, and is currently a free agent following the expiry of his contract with the Spanish club. The defensive midfielder left the club after spending five years, having joined the club from Vojvodina in Serbia.

According to TeamTalk, the Hammers are not the only team who are interested in signing him as fellow Premier League club Brighton, as well as Championship side Leeds United are keen on adding Radoja to their team.

Radoja made over 140 appearances for Celta Vigo in four seasons but did not make a single appearance in the fifth and final season of his contract as he missed the entire 2018-19 season due to injury. The Serbian international has made two appearances for his national team since making his debut in 2016.

The Premier League and Championship transfer window may be closed, but teams from both leagues can still sign free agents.

What will he add to the team?

Radoja is a calm presence in midfield, a player who can pass the ball around well, while also possessing good tackling ability. The 26-year-old has the energy and work-rate to press and tackle, while he can also move the ball around when needed.

The Serbian completed 86% of all his passes in the 2017-18 season while averaging 23.3 passes per game in the same season, while his average passes were higher in the previous season at 42.3 passes. The 6’1″ midfielder is good in the air and is a player who can add tenacity to the West Ham midfield, and could possibly be a backup option for first-choice defensive midfielder Declan Rice.

The rumour also doesn’t come as a complete surprise given the manner in which West Ham United have started the season. They were woeful in the 0-5 loss against the Champions while Lukasz Fabianski was at hand to save his employers an embarrassing scoreline against Brighton. Pellegrini ideally needs a settled centre-back partnership but what is equally important is depth in the central defensive midfield sector given the manner in which teams have been bypassing the Hammers’ midfield.

One worry for manager Manuel Pelligrini, though, is Radoja’s match fitness or lack of it as he hasn’t played a game since May 2018. The Serbian hasn’t had a pre-season, while he has also not played a game in more than a year, which could be one thing that could put off the Hammers management. It could take him more than a month to be ready for first-team football. But, with him being a free transfer, it’s a gamble worth taking for the Premier League side.