West Ham United have been linked with a January move for Swansea City midfielder Marko Stamenić, although I must admit I’m struggling to see why another central midfielder would be a priority for the Hammers.
According to Keith Haynes of Swansea Independent, both West Ham and Southampton are monitoring the 24-year-old New Zealand international. The report suggests Stamenić’s passing ability and defensive awareness have attracted attention, although no formal approach has been confirmed.
West Ham supporters might remember the midfielder from our 1-0 victory over Swansea in October. Stamenić was dispossessed by Divine Mukasa in the build-up to the winning goal, with the young Hammer eventually finishing the move himself. However, that particular incident is hardly a reason to judge a player’s overall ability.
West Ham Have Bigger Priorities Than Another Midfielder
Personally, I think the last thing West Ham need at the moment is another central midfielder. I can think of at least four positions that require strengthening before we start looking to add more players in that department.
We’ve already got Arne Engels, Divine Mukasa, Mohamadou Kanté, Lewis Orford, Tomáš Souček and Soungoutou Magassa, among others. Indeed, the number of midfield options available has been a talking point throughout the season.
More interestingly, the Swansea report also suggests that Magassa could leave West Ham in January, although that remains unconfirmed.
I’d be surprised if that happened.
Scott Parker Could Revive West Ham’s £20m Investment
West Ham paid Monaco approximately £20 million for Magassa, but his lack of involvement under Nuno Espírito Santo has hardly helped maintain his transfer value. I would suggest that his valuation has depreciated significantly since arriving at the club.
Given that Scott Parker immediately brought Magassa back into his starting line-up against Cardiff, there is at least some indication that the new manager sees a role for that type of defensive midfielder.
Scott Parker scouted Magassa during his time at Monaco
For me, the sensible approach would be to get Magassa involved in the first team, build up his match fitness and see whether Parker can coax the performances out of him that persuaded West Ham to spend £20 million in the first place.
That would give us a better player and potentially restore some of his transfer value, rather than selling him at what could be a considerable loss.
Stamenić may well be a decent enough footballer, and his reported statistics at Swansea are encouraging. But unless there is a significant departure from West Ham’s midfield, I really don’t see the logic in spending more money on a position where we already have plenty of options.
Surely there are more pressing problems for Nils Koppen to solve in January.