The midfield scene at London Stadium is mostly a healthy one. The Hammers have plenty of options in the middle of the park and were recently bolstered by the signing of Spanish U21 European Champion Pablo Fornals.
With that being said, there are rumours that Manuel Pellegrini wants to add another player to his midfield mix in the form of Bayer Leverkusen’s Charles Aranguiz, according to Bild, via Sport Witness.
The Chilean midfielder has been an impressive and vital part of the current Leverkusen side since arriving in Germany back in 2015, featuring in 84 Bundesliga matches scoring seven times and assisting a further 15 in an impressive spell in Germany, Transfermarkt.
Now, though, with the Chilean’s deal set to run out next summer in 2020, the German club are keen to sign him on and get a new deal worked out when he returns to his holidays, which have been extended after his participation in the Copa America.
However, for what is now the second summer in a row, the Irons are looking to strike and get their man, as Pellegrini is reportedly a big fan of his. Should the 30-year-old reject a new deal at Leverkusen then he’d be available to sign for free next summer, and the Bundesliga side could be forced to sell him if they want to get a transfer fee for their man.
Whilst the fee, which isn’t mentioned anywhere, would likely be low given Aranguiz’s age and contract situation, whether or not this is a smart signing is up for debate. Pellegrini used a 4-2-3-1 system for most of last season, with Declan Rice and Mark Noble forming the base of the midfield.
Pablo Fornals has been signed to fill in the advanced central midfield role in the three, and that leaves little space for Aranguiz.
After featuring 29 times in all competitions for Leverkusen last season, the chances are he won’t take a rotational role, especially not when he’s also competing with the likes of Jack Wilshere, Carlos Sanchez, Pedro Obiang and Manuel Lanzini throughout the midfield.
The competition is fierce and with Aranguiz the wrong side of 30, there are surely more practical options than the Bayer Leverkusen and Chile midfielder who could come in and improve the dynamic in Pellegrini’s midfield.
