There is no doubt that Mark Noble has been an extremely loyal servant to us over the years and has been the epitome of what playing for West Ham United truly means.
However, there have been a number of questions about his future in the side over the last few years with fears that his advancing age will start to bring out the inevitable decline that players tend to go through in their careers.
He might be 32-years-old now, and with Pablo Fornals allegedly arriving in the imminent future (Guardian) and a potentially fit Jack Wilshere being available next season, it would seem those questions could be about to rear their ugly head once again.
Indeed, not many central midfielders are able to claim a first-team spot on a regular basis and Noble might have to consider being a squad player than a starting member moving forward.
Or, perhaps, that is what could have been what happens to him next year. However, his performances for the Hammers last season show he can still offer Manuel Pellegrini plenty more moving forward.
Despite being into his 30s, Noble only missed seven Premier League games last season – with two of those being missed because of the red card he received in the away game to Leicester City (Transfermarkt).
Valued at £6.5million by Transfermarkt, he still managed to have a hand in ten goals, netting and assisting five apiece, although his defensive work is something that can be unheralded at times as did the legendary Billy Bonds.
According to WhoScored, Noble averaged around 1.5 tackles per game as he looked to help Declan Rice with his duties in protecting the back four. For a player that might be getting called a ‘veteran of the game’ sooner rather than later, those figures are not at all bad.
Fornals’ arrival would certainly help to provide us with the attacking element that Mr Hammer himself has seen decline over the past few years as he is not as influential in the final third of the pitch as he used to be, however, his statistics from last season clearly show he had a solid year and can provide Pellegrini with something brilliant.
