There have been some crazy rumours in the transfer window, well, it wouldn’t be a football season without it and West Ham United seem to be linked with another star player from the Turkish League who could be on his way to the Premier League.
But this player isn’t any young star in the making or one of the Turkey National side’s stars, it is a Canadian international and someone who has been wonderful for the national side and has already won a lot of laurels for his various clubs and on a personal level as well.
Atiba Hutchinson plays for Besiktas and recently won the Super Lig in Turkey with the club. That isn’t the only league, he has won. The 33-year-old has also won Danish Superliga with FC Copenhagen thrice and also was named the Danish Superliga Player of the year in 2009-10.
The 33-year-old Canadian has also been awarded the Canadian Player of the year five times in his career, the most recent coming in 2015 and was also named in the all-time Canada XI by the Canadian Soccer Association in 2012.
Slaven Bilic would know Atiba pretty well, thanks to the Croatian’s time in the Turkish League and it might be a bit of a risk bringing him to the Premier League, but Bilic does have a great record with his signings, at least in the first season, and it would be interesting to see just how it all goes.
Playing style
Hutchinson is primarily a defensive midfielder and that means he would be looking to clear up a lot of the play and help out at the back while pushing forward and linking up with the forwards when he can. Though he isn’t known for his attacking ability, the Canadian does have a great range of passing and that would certainly help West Ham counter more efficiently next season.
He also has a great ability to read the game and that experience is invaluable, time and again, Hutchinson is at the right place at the right time and this helps him in making a large number of interceptions in the midfield.
Being a defensive player, you would expect him to be a great tackler, but Atiba isn’t the best in that part of the game and this could be his weakest link. The age is also an issue and surely Bilic would be looking to give him a more of a Gareth Barry role, rather than that of a Moussa Dembele, who is dynamic and does a lot of running in the team.
Hutchinson might be a big gamble but it could be a great option to have if they can get him for a snip of the price that most foreign imports come at.
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