Why West Ham must offload their 26-year-old ace for £8.9m and sign this Southampton star as replacement

Why Southampton’s Mario Lemina would be a wonderful addition for West Ham

According to reports, West Ham and Sampdoria are locked in talks over the transfer of midfielder Pedro Obiang. The 26-year-old midfielder could leave London Stadium for £8.9million.

Obiang spent seven years at Sampdoria after joining them at the age of 16, making 128 senior appearances before signing for West Ham in 2015. In three seasons, he has made 67 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 3 goals.

If Obiang does leave West Ham, the club has reportedly lined up Southampton’s Mario Lemina as a potential replacement.

Obiang’s place in the first-team under new manager Manuel Pellegrini looks to be in jeopardy following the arrivals of Jack Wilshere, Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko. And it would be ideal for Obiang to move back to Italy as he could have limited game time this season.

West Ham, on the other hand, should go for Mario Lemina to replace Obiang. Lemina, in fact, would be a massive upgrade for West Ham.

Lemina, 24, joined Southampton from Juventus in the summer of 2017 and enjoyed a solid first season despite the fact that the Saints narrowly escaped relegation. Initially, the midfielder struggled to cope with the demands of the Premier League but eventually, he settled down and went on to establish himself as one of Southampton’s better players.

A supreme passer of the ball, Lemina can sit deep and spray balls upfield with top accuracy. He is a hard-tackling midfielder filled with a lot of energy and possesses good technique. The Gabonese is fast, strong and creative with a good range of passing, whilst also being solid in defence.

Lemina is arguably one of the best ball-winning midfield players in the Premier League and his tenacious and aggressive style of play seems suitable for Pellegrini’s West Ham. Despite adding the likes of Wilshere and Anderson, the Hammers certainly need more bite in the middle of the park and the Southampton ace would offer them just that.

The 24-year-old is a powerful box-to-box midfielder capable of cracking a shot from distance. Tall and strong, he can hold his own against opponents and provides that physical presence during set-pieces. The Gabon international also has vast experience of playing at the very highest level, having spent time with Marseille and Juventus, and he would certainly help add a different dimension to West Ham’s play.

Whether Southampton will sell Lemina to West Ham remains to be seen but the Hammers must make a move for the hard-tackling midfielder’s services nonetheless.

Read more: Why Watford could be the ideal destination for West Ham’s out of favour £10m teenager

The summer transfer window has already been an excellent one for West Ham but the arrival of Lemina really would be the icing on the cake ahead of the 2018/19 campaign.