Reported West Ham midfielder hunt has only one answer
Benfica midfielder Gedson Fernandes is the name on every West Ham United fans’ lips at the moment, but he’s not the only man being discussed in east London.
There are plenty of other midfielders out there, of course, and the Hammers are naturally looking far and wide for reinforcements in the middle of the park.
Indeed, reliable source Claret & Hugh reported on Thursday that Genk’s Sander Berge and Stoke City’s Joe Allen are two other midfield names being discussed at the London Stadium.
When you consider who you’d rather have wearing a claret and blue shirt moving forward between those two players, the answer is an extremely straightforward one.
Berge is 21 years of age and has his best days ahead of him. Allen is 29 years of age and has his best days behind him. It’s pretty much as simple as that.
Yes, the Welsh international has significant Premier League experience, but there’s a reason no one’s come in for him since Stoke suffered relegation.
The statistics don’t tell the whole story, of course, but Berge exceeds Allen in average passes and key passes per game, pass success rate, crosses and long balls per outing.
He fits into the Irons’ style of football much better than the safety-first Stoke star, while he has much more room for growth.
Perhaps Fernandes will sign and then neither of these two join, but you get the feeling that the Hammers could end up regretting letting Berge slip the net if that’s how it all plays out.
In other West Ham news, one of the team’s regular starters has been named as a top transfer target for a Premier League giant.