Why West Ham should make a bid for Steven Nzonzi in summer

According to an earlier report from the Guardian, West Ham were interested in signing French international midfielder Steven Nzonzi under the regime of David Moyes. However, a move back to the Premier League failed to materialize for Steven Nzonzi and the Frenchman completed a move to Roma at the start of the ongoing campaign.

Steven Nzonzi, 30, started his professional career with Ligue 2 side Amiens before signing for Blackburn Rovers back in 2009, where he spent three years. Following Blackburn’s relegation to the Championship, he joined Stoke City in 2012 and established himself as a key player under Tony Pulis. The 30-year-old moved to Sevilla in 2015 where he won the Europa League in his first season.

Meanwhile, West Ham are in dire need of fresh faces in the middle of the park, with manager Manuel Pellegrini facing a shortage of options due to injuries. Injuries to Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez has largely limited West Ham’s options in central midfield, with Pedro Obiang struggling for consistency.

Declan Rice and Mark Noble have been ever-present faces in the first-team but the Hammers need more depth in their squad to push for a Europa League spot next season.

Along with Felipe Anderson, Declan Rice has been one of the standout performers for the Hammers in what has been a season filled with ups and downs. While they definitely need to sign new players, the Hammers need to get rid of deadwood as well. And Pedro Obiang is one such player that West Ham should not hesitate to offload next summer.

Obiang has found life tough in the Premier League and it is high time that the Hammers find a suitable partner for Declan Rice in the midfield.

To put things into perspective, a hugely experienced seasoned campaigner like Steven Nzonzi can change the whole complexion of West Ham’s midfield. The Frenchman is widely known as an all-action central defensive midfielder who not only has the ability to retain the ball and pick out the correct pass but he can win back possession for his team as well.

A hard-working, composed and a tenacious midfielder like Nzonzi, who covers a lot of ground, can add that sense of stability to the midfield, which in turn will allow the attacking players to have a more profound impact on the proceedings. Furthermore, Nzonzi is also known for his fluent passing and immaculate distribution, something that West Ham have lacked at times this season.

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Hence, it would be fair to say that the Hammers will look much more formidable a unit with Rice, Wilshere, Noble and Nzonzi as options in central midfield. That said, they should go all out to bring the Frenchman back to the Premier League in summer.