Why West Ham should reignite their interest in Joan Jordan
Back in June 2019, a report from Sky Sports had claimed that West Ham were interested in signing Spanish midfielder Joan Jordan, who was then plying his trade with Eibar in the La Liga. The Hammers were even understood to have launched a £13million bid to sign Jordan but eventually lost out to Sevilla in the race to sign the 26-year-old.
Profile
Joan Jordan started his professional career with Espanyol in the La Liga during the 2014-15 season but struggled to establish himself as a regular starter. He made only 17 first-team appearances for the Catalan club, largely featuring for their reserve side in the third tier.
A productive loan spell at Real Valladolid in the second division paved the way for a move to Eibar in 2017. The central midfielder accumulated an impressive tally of 10 goals and 8 assists in 75 appearances before switching boats to join Sevilla in 2019. Jordan went on to enjoy an impressive debut season at his new club, featuring 47 times in all competitions as Sevilla finished 4th in the La Liga and won the UEFA Europa League.
Jordan would be a quality addition to West Ham’s midfield
West Ham completed a permanent deal for Tomas Soucek in the summer after the Czech Republic international made a positive impression on loan from Slavia Prague during the second half of last season. The 25-year-old has carried his rich vein of form into the ongoing campaign as well, proving himself to be a real coup for the Hammers in the market.
Soucek has impressed as one of the mainstays of West Ham’s midfield, forming a formidable pairing with the immensely talented Declan Rice. The Hammers, though, would find themselves in a massive void if they end up losing Rice in the near future amidst interest from Chelsea.
The East Londoners managed to fend off interest from the Blues in their prized asset during the summer but the Blues are likely to come calling once again in January. West Ham don’t really have quality alternatives in the midfield department, with Mark Noble and Robert Snodgrass both nearing their twilight at 33.
They have also parted ways with the likes of Pedro Obiang, Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez in the recent past, leaving them further short of cover in the midfield. Hence, West Ham should definitely try to bring in a new central midfielder in January, regardless of what the future holds for Rice.
To put things into perspective, West Ham should make a renewed attempt to sign Joan Jordan during the mid-season trading period. The Spaniard enjoyed a brilliant debut season at Sevilla last term following his move from Eibar and his stocks have continued to soar high after winning the Europa League.
Essentially a box-to-box midfielder by trade, Jordan is also capable of operating in defensive and attacking roles. Besides his obvious quality on the ball and a knack for scoring as well as creating goals, the Spaniard also excels with his work rate. As evident from his heat map last season, Jordan is an absolute work horse capable of covering every blade of grass on the pitch.
Read More
- Why West Ham should reignite their interest in Martin Braithwaite
- Why West Ham should reignite their interest in Josh Maja
Verdict
Joan Jordan would bring a multitude of qualities to West Ham’s midfield. The Sevilla star still has his best years ahead of him at 26. Having said that, the Hammers should start keeping tabs on him once again, with the January window not too far away.
