There were early concerns over West Ham’s performances last season, with manager Slaven Bilic enduring a frustrating start. He was immediately sacked and former Manchester United manager David Moyes was brought in to rescue the team. Under Moyes’ stewardship, the Hammers finished in the 13th place. But Moyes was eventually let go and West Ham made a statement in signing new manager Manuel Pellegrini.
The Chilean guided Manchester City to their first ever Premier League title. He is an experienced manager and will surely bring the best of out of the Hammers. And with Pellegrini’s name and reputation, West Ham could aim to sign bigger players now.
One such player the Hammers are being linked to is Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, Javier Pastore. West Ham have reportedly opened talks with the club and are willing to shell out £17.5million to acquire his services.
Pastore joined PSG from Palermo in 2011 and has only one year left on his current contract at the Parc des Princes. He has scored 45 goals in 265 appearances for the current Ligue 1 champions. But in recent times, the Argentinian has found first-team football hard to come by with the likes of Lo Celso, Adrien Rabiot and Marco Verrati in the squad.
The Argentinian just made 14 appearances last season, scoring 4 goals and providing 5 assists across the Ligue 1 campaign. However, he is one of the most skilled midfielders in Europe and is blessed with exceptional talent on the ball. With his slick dribbling ability, Pastore’s passing range is quite impressive as well. Playing in the middle of the park, he averaged a pass success rate of 82.3% and chipped in with an average of 1.1 key passes per game.
West Ham will certainly need the player, particularly if they are unable to hold onto Inter Milan loanee Joao Mario. The Portuguese midfielder made 12 appearances in the Premier League last season, scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assist during that time.
If Pellegrini can successfully hold onto the player, he would have a number of options for the middle of the park. But they will have to wait until the World Cup gets over since Mario is currently in Russia.
In the meantime, Pellegrini could seek to complete a move for the PSG midfielder. A move to the Hammers would certainly help reignite his spark, as well as West Ham’s.
The former Manchester City boss will certainly know how to bring the best out of the 28-year-old. And if the Chilean can manage to do so, while retaining Joao Mario’s services, West Ham could end up finishing for a spot in Europe next season.
