Sky Sports has revealed that West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini wants fellow Chilean Gary Medel at the club, as the former Manchester City boss looks to improve his back-line in the race for a Europa League spot. However, the question for Pellegrini to answer is can the 31-year-old do what Issa Diop, Fabian Balbuena, Reece Oxford and Angelo Ogbonna couldn’t do?
The 31-year-old Chilean has been a crucial player at Besiktas and now with Pepe leaving over issues with his wage, Medel’s role could become even more important.
But it’s no surprise that Pellegrini wants the defensive midfielder in his team, as given his Premier League experience with Cardiff City, he would be very useful as the fixture list becomes tougher.
For West Ham, whose target is a Europa League spot, things could become very tough. This means that post-January, the Hammers will have to make sure they are at their very best and bringing in Medel, certainly allows Pellegrini to add steel to his side.
While they did spend heavily over the summer bringing in the likes of Felipe Anderson, Issa Diop, Fabian Balbuena, Lukasz Fabianski, and a few others, the former Manchester City boss has still had to watch as the Hammers concede 27 goals. Medel’s experience in the La Liga, Serie A, Turkish League and even the Premier League makes him a valuable buy.
But his ability to play as either a defensive midfielder or a centre-back, makes him a great value signing.
However, given that Manuel Pellegrini already has a myriad of players on the physio’s table; things could get a lot worse unless he adds depth during the January window. They’ve also been linked with a move for Ruben Loftus Cheek (via Daily Mail) and things should get interesting as the window approaches.
What could complicate a move for the 31-year-old is that Nuno Espirito Santo has already revealed that he plans to use the winter window to bring in a central midfielder and a right-back. This means that while Wolves haven’t been linked with a move for Gary Medel, he’s certainly a great option for the 12th-place side to have.
