Vital Hammers News

Agent claims Pellegrini blocked £10m West Ham January deal

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West Ham have shown significant signs of improvement under Manuel Pellegrini but there is still plenty of rumours floating around about potential pieces of business during the January transfer window.

The final two weeks of the mid-season window could be busy and Italian football agent Giulio Meozzi told Tutto Mercato Web claims that Pellegrini personally intervened to prevent Pedro Obiang returning to Serie A.

“For €11m [£10m] West Ham had said that the player would be relinquished, there is no doubt about it. The president took him off the market after the sale of Arnautovic to China was approaching.

“In fact, the president had been convinced to cede Obiang himself, but it was the technician, Pellegrini, who opposed the figure offered by Fiorentina and it was just a turnabout before the president and then Pellegrini to blow up the operation.

“It is no coincidence that West Ham has made it known that the player was not for sale and not that the amount offered was not adequate.”

Obiang has started less than half of the Hammers’ Premier League games this season and seemed to be deemed surplus to requirement at the London Stadium until Pellegrini decided to pull the plug, reportedly due to Marko Arnautovic’s proposed move to Chinese side Shanghai SIPG.

Previous article by Josh Challies

West Ham set sights on £45m-rated forward as Arnautovic replacement

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