So according to reports the two Davids and Big Sam are interested in bringing in Manchester City’s James Milner and Udinese’s Matej Vydra, both supposedly on season-long loan deals. Are these players who us fans would like to see pull on the claret and blue and actually firmly believe they can make an impact? In my opinion I would love to see Milner plying his trade at Upton Park next season. However, I am less than convinced by Matej Vydra’s ability to perform in the Premier League to even a satisfactory level.
England international, James Milner, is a player who I believe can definitely fit into the style of play Sam Allardyce likes his teams to play. Not only is he a very talented player on the ball, but he also doesn’t think twice before putting his foot in and doing the dirty side of the game. Although employed as a wide midfield player by his clubs and the national side, it is in the centre of the park where I personally believe he is best suited to playing. He has bags of energy and seems as though he can run for days. He gives 100% in every game he plays and is as committed to the cause as any. His attitude is second to none, as shown by his endless work he puts in even coming off the bench. He never under performs even when he is out of favour with the manager and can barely get in the first team at Manchester City. All his attributes add up to an almost perfect central midfielder. In my opinion his lack of pace means he is not the right type of player to be employed out on the wing.
My only issue with the signing of Milner would be that there is simply no room for him in the first team. If he is employed in the centre of midfield then that would mean he would have to replace either Mark Noble or Mo Diame and I don’t think for one second that it will be Diame. That just leaves him to battle it out with Noble for a place in the starting eleven. Whoever Sam decided to start out of the pair it would undoubtedly see the other either wanting to move or, in Milner’s case, asking for his loan to be terminated.
Although I would love to see us sign Milner, I have to agree with one of the most respected and trusted men on Twitter that I cannot see it happening.
Then we come onto Czech striker Matej Vydra. With the 20 year old’s agent confirming our interest in him, I for one am quite concerned about his ability to hack it in the best league in Europe. Vydra certainly had a fantastic start and middle of his first season in English football, on loan to Watford, however he did fall from his path slightly come the end of it. 20 goals is a very good return for such a young striker, but just because he can score goals in the championship does not mean that he can do the same in the Premier League!
Unless Vydra was put on a serious fitness regime to improve his strength and physique then I can certainly not see him being able to handle challenges from some of the best central defenders in the business!
Another thing which worries me about the possible signing of Vydra is the strong possibility that he will not be able to fit in with Big Sam way. I realise that Vydra managed to link up very well with his Watford strike partner, Troy Deeney, and people will probably say that it would be a similar thing with Andy Carroll. However the way Watford played last season was completely different to the way we played. When Deeney would be laying the ball off for Vydra to fire home it would usually be through a build up coming along the floor not Deeney heading the ball down.
For all these reasons I don’t believe that Vydra would be the right fit for a club like West Ham.