West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has addressed the recent speculation linking Yaya Toure to the club.
The ex-Manchester City ace, who won three Premier League titles at the Etihad, is currently a free agent.
The Citizens decided against extending his contract again at the end of the 2017/18 campaign, and the midfielder is now looking for a new club.
The Hammers brought in two new holding midfield players in Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez over the summer, but Toure’s name is still being bandied about as a possible incoming.
As an unattached player, the 35-year-old is free to join any club even if a transfer window is close, as is the case for English clubs.
Pellegrini took questions from the media ahead of the weekend game with Bournemouth, and was asked about Toure. As quoted by the Daily Mail, the Chilean said respectfully of his former player: “Yaya Toure is a good player, he will always be a good player, but for the moment he is not for West Ham. For the moment the squad is complete.
Technically that doesn’t mean the 64-year-old wouldn’t move for him if he felt the need later down the line if he was still unattached, but it certainly seems at the moment that there is nothing to the links.
Toure would certainly bring a wealth of Premier League experience to the team, but there are obviously questions over his fitness at the age of 35.
The Ivorian was a powerhouse box-to-box midfielder a few years ago, but towards the end of his City career it became clear that he is a shadow of his former self.
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