According to Bleacher Report, West Ham boss David Moyes still wants to bring Marouane Fellaini to the London Stadium before Friday’s transfer deadline.
The Hammers are really short in central midfield. But they appear to be close to addressing that issue, with the imminent arrival of Tomas Soucek (Sky Sports).
It could be argued that one addition will quite simply not be enough, however.
And Bleacher Report claims that Moyes is still keen to bring Fellaini to the club.
The 32-year-old joined Chinese Super League outfit Shandong Luneng from Manchester United this time last year for around £10 million (The Mirror).
The 87-capped Belgium international has gone on to rack up 12 goals and five assists in 34 appearances for the Chinese club (Transfermarkt).
So would Fellaini be a good addition for West Ham?
The 6ft 4in Belgian is extensively experienced in England. He made a combined 260 Premier League appearances for Everton and Manchester United.
During that period, Fellaini has racked up 622 tackles, with a success rate of 77% (premierleague.com). He has also won 895 aerial duals and 1,899 individual battles, as well as recording 1,477 ball recoveries.
On the face of it, the former Manchester United man seems to be tailor made for what West Ham need.
At the age of 32, however, Fellaini might just find it hard to get reacquainted with the intense, frenetic pace of the Premier League.
His no-nonsense approach to the game and physicality, however, could be a real plus for the Hammers.
The midfielder’s wage demands would undoubtedly represent a problem though. The Evening Standard claims that Fellaini earns around £200k-a-week in China. And the east London club definitely would not be able to pay him that kind of salary.
Perhaps this is yet another transfer rumour that can be binned for now, in spite of the possibility that the giant Belgian could actually be of use to West Ham at the moment.
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