Why West Ham must sign this 24-year-old midfield powerhouse in January – could be Noble’s successor

Why West Ham must reignite their interest in Marvelous Nakamba

West Ham were interested in signing Club Brugge midfielder Marvelous Nakamba in the summer, according to a report from Voetbal Nieuws. But the Hammers didn’t make a formal offer to Brugge for the services of their star.

West Ham appointed Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager in the summer to turn the fortunes around. Pellegrini spent a lot of money in the summer to strengthen his squad and plug the problematic areas.

The likes of Andriy Yarmolenko, Jack Wilshere, Felipe Anderson, Fabian Balbuena, Issa Diop and Carlos Sanchez arrived through the front door at West Ham as Pellegrini looked to make a massive statement this season.

However, the Hammers endured the worst possible start to the 2018/19 campaign as they lost four back-to-back Premier League games and the optimism that was built following the arrival of some exciting signings was destroyed.

And while West Ham have turned around a corner by picking up some impressive results lately, most notably against Manchester United, the midfield looks like an area that needs strengthening.

Jack Wilshere arrived at the London stadium amidst a lot of fanfare but he has picked up another unfortunate injury that has kept him out of action. Declan Rice has performed the role of an anchor very well after Pellegrini switched to a 4-3-3 formation, with Mark Noble and Pedro Obiang doing a good job in the advanced roles.

However, Noble is 31 and lacks the legs to run the pitch for the entire 90 minutes. The West Ham skipper has started ageing and Pellegrini would be wise to consider potential replacements in January. The Chilean manager should reignite his interest in Marvelous Nakamba in order to replace the ageing Noble in the middle of the park.

Nakamba, 24, enjoyed a fantastic last season with Brugge and has managed to put the early struggles in Europe behind him. Thanks to a three-year spell with Vitesse in Eredivisie, as it helped the Zimbabwean get back his mojo. After a season of stellar consistency with Brugge, the 24-year-old certainly is ready to take the next big step in his career.

In Nakamba, West Ham would get a powerful midfielder who would suit the role of a deep-lying playmaker. He is a tenacious, aggressive and a strong midfield player who uses his strength to win aerial duels and uses his vision to pick out passes from the deep. He is a tough-tackler, quick on the ground and is a very good recycler of possession.

Read more: Opinion – West Ham are doing the right thing by offering a new contract to this 19-year-old prodigy

Truly, the Zimbabwean star has all the qualities to succeed at West Ham and endear himself to the fans. All in all, Nakamba is a player for whom Pellegrini should break the bank for in January to bolster his midfield options.