Edimilson Fernandes is the man to fill the void in midfield
This season has not had many positives but the one that stands out from the rest is the signing of Edimilson Fernandes.
The 20-year-old has been a breath of fresh air in an otherwise stagnant season. When West Ham signed the Swiss youngster, not many knew of him but I am sure the Hammers fans know him now.
He has made 23 appearances in all competitions for Slaven Bilic’s side, and in my opinion, it should be a lot more. Fernandes has the potential to be our centre midfielder playmaker for many years to come, and his performance during the second half against Leicester City proves this. During this season, the youngster has been thrown from pillar to post by Bilic and he has been very consistent with a few poor performances which is expected of someone his age.
I feel we need to trust players more and ignore age. The talent of Fernandes is there to see, and the injury to Pedro Obiang does not install fear into me for the next few weeks because I believe Fernandes can fill a hole very comfortably. Many fans may say that is a stupid statement but as many fans rave about the former Sampdoria star, I feel he has not been performing to the highest standards over the last few weeks. Obiang, when on form, has a great instinct for intercepting the play and an eye for a pass but he has been too inconsistent recently, and his performance against Leicester highlighted this.
West Ham lack pace and technique in the heart of midfield and I feel Fernandes can bring this. We are slow in possession, lacking any drive unless it comes from Manuel Lanzini or Michail Antonio. We need more fire in the centre of midfield which will not come from Cheikhou Kouyate, Mark Noble or Obiang.
Fernandes may not be the finished article, far from it, but we have to start entrusting talent more and give them the breakthrough when it is deserved. Fernandes is tall, strong and fast, three attributes which are described of Kouyate. Fernandes may not have the defensive talents of Kouyate but he has more offensive qualities than the Senegalese international, which is missing from our game every week.
This article may be proved wrong in the next few weeks but I think we need to start taking risks because Bilic is playing safe with the side and it is going desperately wrong at times. We need a fresh change, and Fernandes can be that change.