West Ham United must keep Manuel Lanzini to create blend of youth and experience
West Ham are set to offer a new deal to veteran midfielder Manuel Lanzini a new deal, according to Claret & Hugh.
David Moyes is keen to strengthen midfield after the departure of Mark Noble and Alex Kral whereas the question mark remains on the future of Declan Rice as well.
On the other hand, the Argentina international has only one year left on his current deal with the Hammers.
Lanzini has been an Irons player since the summer of 2016 when he moved from Al-Jazira in a deal worth £10.80 million.
Experience
Lanzini is an experienced Premier League midfielder and fully understands the expectations West Ham now has of him and the current group of players.
In the recently concluded season at the London Stadium, the 29-year-old has played 29 games under Moyes in the Premier League, scoring five goals and providing three assists. However, he only started 47% of the games [Transfermarkt].
Considering the fact that West Ham already have too many young players in Rice, Jarrod Bowen and Ben Johnson respectively, it is important that the Hammers keep their experienced players as well.
If you look at the best teams in the world, they are not established based on how fantastic their young players are. They create a balance between youth players and experienced players. Therefore, the extension of Lanzini makes total sense.
The Argentine midfielder can prove to be an important option for the London-based club considering they play in Europe again next season – this will be a perfect move.