The make-up of West Ham United’s midfield rather sums up the position the Premier League outfit are in right now. Caught between transfer mistakes of the recent past, and looking to make amends with a more youth-focused approach.
The Hammers started the season, in a 3-0 trouncing by Sunderland, with Guido Rodriguez and James Ward-Prowse in the centre of the park.
Two past-their-best, 30-plus midfielders who reportedly take home a combined £190,000-a-week at the London Stadium. No wonder Tony Cottee was having sleepless nights about what he labelled a staggering dearth of ‘athleticism and pace’ in the centre of the park.
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Flash forward to late-December and, while relegation remains a very real possibility for West Ham United, that new-found midfield pairing of Freddie Potts, Mateus Fernandes and occasionally Soungoutou Magassa reflects a long-awaited transition towards younger, more mobile and also less well-remunerated operators.
Potts, Fernandes and Magassa have an average age of 21.6. According to Capology, their weekly wage combined is less than the £115,000-a-week Ward-Prowse takes home.
So wouldn’t it be fitting if World Cup winner Guido Rodriguez was replaced by another Argentine, a decade his junior, in the shape of Boca Juniors starlet Milton Delgado?
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In a rather damning indictment of how Nuno feels towards his former Nottingham Forest loanee, Rodriguez is ahead of Ward-Prowse in the West Ham pecking order these days.
Yet, mercifully, both are expected to leave in 2026. Although there is interest from Antonio Conte’s Napoli in Magassa, the Hammers are in no rush to sell a new face while they have a couple of old heads ready for the retirement home.
Espanyol were priced out of a La Liga return for the ex-Real Betis enforcer over the summer. But with Rodriguez’s contract expiring in a few months’ time, his £75,000-a-week wages will no longer be an obstacle to West Ham’s hopes of a departure.
According to El Intransigente, ‘alarm bells’ are now ringing at Boca Juniors.
That is because the Hammers are understood to be ‘a strong contender’ to lure Milton Delgado away from the iconic La Bombonera. The board, led by president and Argentina legend Juan Roman Riquelme, believe that an offer could be ‘imminent’.
Furthermore, with an £11 million release clause in the 20-year-old’s contract, Boca would be powerless to prevent West Ham getting their man should Delgado jump at the opportunity.
Argentina U20 playmaker Delgado has been mentored by Fernando Gago
While some have wondered if the appointment of former goalkeeper Nuno has benefitted the man currently between the sticks at the London Stadium – the West Ham boss has hailed Alphonse Areola’s influence during a fantastic few weeks – ex-Real Madrid, Roma, Valencia and Albiceleste midfielder Fernando Gago is proving to be the perfect mentor for his young protege.
“[Delgado] is coming from a lot of growth, both in football and personally” Gago said in March.
“He’s in a good moment, in general. From a personal standpoint, from the level he competes at in each match, the level he shows in each match, it’s a very good situation for me, because I have the possibility of elevating the level of all the players in that [deep-lying midfield] position.”
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Napoli are keen on the West Ham midfielder
Delgado, like his Boca coach, is a deep-lying regista who loves to get on the ball and control proceedings from the base of the engine room.
In short, a footballer nicknamed the ‘Little Giant’ due to his personality rather than his physique looks like a younger version of what West Ham thought they were getting when they beat Barcelona to Guido Rodriguez.
The Football Talent Scout website draws comparisons with Napoli’s Stanislav Lobotka. At just 5ft 5ins, the diminutive dynamo dominates the game with style rather than speed, with finesse rather than ferocity.
One YouTube compilation showcasing Delgado in action is titled ‘When Football Becomes Art’, and that rather sums him up.
“He plays more uncomfortably with us because he’s not playing as a holding midfielder, which is his natural position, but he gives us everything. He gives us clarity, he gives us playmaking ability, he tackles,” said Diego Placente, Argentina’s Under-20 head coach after Delgado claimed the Bronze Ball for his stellar displays at the recent U20 World Cup.
“He, along with a few others, are the pillars of the team. The truth is, he’s a monster.”
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