West Ham are incredibly weak in midfield at the moment.
Declan Rice has been a stand-out performer over the past 18 months and Mark Noble is still an important player for the Hammers.
The 32-year-old is not getting any younger, however, and David Moyes has just Carlos Sanchez to choose from as cover for the West Ham duo, aside from a selection of youth players.
With this in mind, the decision to sell Edimilson Fernandes in the summer seems like a baffling one.
The 23-year-old joined Mainz in June last year for around €9 million (£7.7 million), according to Viola Nation.
And the 14-capped Switzerland midfielder has impressed in the Bundesliga.
Fernandes is exactly the kind of box-to-box midfielder that West Ham currently need.
He never hit great heights at the London Stadium. It could be argued, however, that he was never really given a fair enough chance of regular first-team action.
The Swiss ace is young, energetic and dynamic in his play.
His skillset gave the Hammers something unique. And he really should have been used to far greater effect during his time in east London.
At the time, £7.7 million might have seemed like good value for the Hammers, but it highlights a worrying lack of forward thinking.
With proper coaching, Fernandes could have gone on to become a real star. He possesses all of the key attributes needed to succeed at the very highest level.
And with West Ham’s current midfield problems, it seems as though they might just have given up on the 23-year-old too soon.
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