‘Time to move on’ – West Ham Super Fans happy to see Balbuena leave in summer
This is part of a regular series from our panel of West Ham Super Fans. Each week, our Super Fans will deliver their verdicts on the biggest talking points and news stories around the London Stadium.
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Fabian Balbuena looks as though he’s coming to the end of his spell as a West Ham player.
West Ham news website Claret & Hugh has reported the 29-year-old defender believes his future lies elsewhere amid speculation linking him with a return to Brazil.
Balbuena joined the Irons from Corinthians in July 2019 and the three-year deal he signed when he arrived in London expires at the end of this season.
The Paraguay international has found himself in and out of the first-team at the London Stadium during the reigns of both Manuel Pellegrini and David Moyes but has struggled to play for the Hammers lately with his last league appearance coming on December 27.
Since then, 11 Premier League matches have been played where Balbuena has been either kept on the bench or been out of the squad completely.
It seems as though it will soon be the end of Balbuena’s days as a West Ham player and we’ve asked our panel of Super Fans to say whether they would like to see the centre-back go.
With Moyes preferring other options ahead of Balbuena, the general consensus is that the fans wouldn’t mind seeing the defender leave.
Here is what they had to say:
Mark Smith (@ironworks68)
James Houlden (@JamesHoulden98)
Andrew Bushell (@Andy_Bushy67)
Bobby (@Bobby27590293)
W David Row (@wdavidrow)
Kevin Vince (@Kevinvince63)
Gary (@Gary17426718)
Andrew Jacob (@AJacob1511)
Some of the Super Fans believe that West Ham should raise some funds by getting rid of Balbuena but, unfortunately, the centre-back’s contract expires in the summer so he’ll be leaving on a free transfer unless a new deal is agreed beforehand.
But a couple of fans have suggested that a move away from the London Stadium for the Paraguayan could open up a spot for Craig Dawson.
The 30-year-old is currently on loan at West Ham from Championship side Watford but he’s been putting in some seriously impressive displays this season.
It took a while for the ex-West Brom defender to cement his spot in Moyes’ first-team but since his league debut for the Irons in late December, he’s played every single top-flight match.
West Ham have only conceded in six of the 11 Premier League matches Dawson has played in so to not attempt to sign him permanently in the summer would be a bit of a mistake.
As for Balbuena, it seems as though it will be a natural parting of ways for him in the summer and the fans wouldn’t mind to see it happen either.
We’ve seen some strong performances by the big South American but it’s likely we may have seen his last in claret and blue.
In other West Ham news, Frank McAvennie believes Vladimir Coufal’s reaction to the loss at Manchester City “said a lot”.