West Ham United signed Jack Wilshere from Arsenal on a free transfer last summer, probably in hope that the Englishman would banish his past and kickstart his career at the London stadium. They also brought Carlos Sanchez to bolster their defensive midfield department.
But as this season has panned out so far, the Hammers haven’t seen either of them for a good period of time to judge their performance and adaptation levels. Both players have made just five Premier League appearances each, and have been injured for the past five to six months now.
While there have been updates that Sanchez won’t play any more football this season, Wilshere is no where close to first-team action, with only 10 games to go in the campaign.
Hence, it would be close to stupidity if Manuel Pellegrini and his staff members rely on a 33-year-old player (Sanchez) to come back from a serious injury and come good next season. Nor relying on a historically injury-prone Wilshere to make a sudden U-turn makes any sense.
Declan Rice and Mark Noble have done a terrific job as a midfield pivot, with Pedro Obiang providing able support. But West Ham need more if they are become a more solid all-around unit. For that reason, they should aim at signing Danny Drinkwater from Chelsea once the summer transfer window opens:
Since signing for Chelsea under Antonio Conte in the summer window of 2017 for a fee around £35m, Danny Drinkwater neither featured for the previous regime, and something similar is the case under the new management. In fact, under Maurizio Sarri, the former Leicester City star and Premier League winner isn’t even getting on the bench in some games to have a chance to step onto the field for the first-team.
Hence, the 28-year-old must make a move in the summer to reignite his career and get back to doing what he does best – playing football at the highest level. The midfielder has the experience and know-how of the league, and has a winner’s medal hanging in his gallery room as well.
Thus, any club who takes Drinkwater and offers him regular game time, they would be in an advantageous position. That being said, West Ham should take this opportunity and sign the former Leicester man and enhance the solidity of their midfield.