Why West Ham must go all out to sign Fabian Balbuena

According to a report by Sky Sports, West Ham United are edging closer to signing Fabian Balbuena from Corinthians this summer. The report claims that the club have accepted the Hammers’ bid and a deal is on the horizon. Now, the 23-year-old is expected to travel to London to undergo his medical and finalize the move.

The Paraguay international seems like an immense prospect and Manuel Pellegrini’s impact at the club is evident for all to see.

After a lacklustre campaign that saw them finish 13th, one must admit that West Ham are on the right path. Appointing Pellegrini as their manager was nothing short of a masterstroke and the former Manchester City boss has worked wonders since his arrival.

To be fair, West Ham have a decent attack force and midfield department but their defence was extremely poor in the previous term. In fact, they conceded 68 goals, making it the joint-worst record alongside Stoke City, who eventually got relegated.

Since then, however, Pellegrini has brought in Ryan Fredericks, Lukasz Fabianski, Issa Diop and now, it looks like Balbuena could be on his way to East London stadium. A centre-back by trade, the Paraguay international does seem like a solid choice for the club.

Angelo Ogbonna and Declan Rice were some of the standout performers at the heart of the defence for West Ham last season. But now, with the arrivals of Diop and potentially Balbuena, suffice to say that the Londoners will have a reinforced backline.

Over the course of the previous campaign, Balbuena averaged 1.5 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and a whopping 5.4 clearances per game. In addition to that, the player also won an average of 2.9 aerial duels per game. These numbers are mighty impressive and he could work wonders alongside the likes of Diop, Ogbonna and Rice.

James Collins is out of the picture whereas Winston Reid is injury-prone, meaning the brunt of the responsibility will fall on Diop, Rice and Balbuena. Ogbonna is undoubtedly a reliable choice but he is on the wrong side of 30.

To that end, a deal for Balbuena seems like a great choice. Alongside Diop, he would bring in some much-needed stability and solidity at the back. It is unsure as to whether or not Pellegrini will deploy his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation at West Ham.

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But with a good number of central defence options at hand, the manager could even deploy a three-man backline. Exciting times are indeed ahead for the Hammers and it will be interesting to see how they fare under Pellegrini next season.