Our midfield is currently one of the strongest in recent memory; the likes of Alex Song and Stewart Downing have been amongst the top performers in the division and Mark Noble, Morgan Amalfitano and Cheikhou Kouyate have turned in some impressive displays too. But we lack strength in depth, so in this article I will look at where our midfield stands for next season.
I will start by examining our defensive midfield options. Cheikhou Kouyate has been a rock since his summer switch from Anderlecht, providing strength, skill and pace as well as defensive capabilities – as evidenced in this weekend’s game against Manchester United where he sat in at centre back. We all know about Mark Noble’s ability; a servant to the club who is frequently underrated and overlooked by the media. These two will almost certainly be present at West Ham for the start of next season and provide a good foundation for the midfield but our main priority for the summer must be to make Alex Song’s loan move permanent.
Our late swoop in last summer’s window was seen as a remarkable coup and has since proved to be one of the best pieces of business in the league. It has been made very clear that Song will be our number one target in the next transfer window but we will face competition from the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham reportedly. That is not to mention Barcelona are under a transfer embargo – they may wish to keep Song as they cannot recruit themselves. If a deal for Song does not go through then we might expect to make a move for another holding midfielder.
We were close to signing Darren Fletcher in January but that fell through; Lassana Diarra and Yann M’Vila were also discussed. But with the new youth philosophy that our owners are trying to promote, perhaps we will look at some younger targets? Our alternative defensive midfielder option is young Diego Poyet, who is held in high regard at the club and has impressed when given the chance. A loan spell at a Championship club could help to prepare him for Premier League football next season as a substitute to help close games out.
I will now evaluate our three attacking midfielders – Stewart Downing, Morgan Amalfitano and Kevin Nolan. This season Downing has been moved into a central position, at the tip of a narrow diamond, since we have discarded wingers. This has been a revelation with Downing being suddenly transformed into one of the league’s best midfielders in terms of chances created and he has even been contributing with goals. However, in recent games, Allardyce has chosen to move him back out wide where he has looked less comfortable and been less effective. He has instead opted for our captain Kevin Nolan to sit in behind the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation; the very same formation and tactics which left us in a relegation scrap last season. But Allardyce’s stubborn nature means that, if we renew his managerial contract, then Nolan will stay (as captain) and probably start in the attacking midfield role despite going by unnoticed in the vast majority of games.
Our third attack-minded midfielder is Morgan Amalfitano, who joined us late on deadline day last summer for a bargain £1m from Marseille. He has primarily been used as an impact substitute but has shown some impressive attacking flair and versatility which is much welcomed in our fairly rigid midfield. Amalfitano’s contract is up at the end of the season, though, but it is reported that West Ham have opened talks to offer him a new deal with a pay rise. Hopefully Amalfitano will renew his contract as he offers a different approach to our midfield.
Our other midfielder is Matt Jarvis, who has drifted further from the first team picture this season. He has failed to live up to his price tag, which was a club record at the time. We failed to offload him in January with QPR and West Brom amongst the clubs interested and I expect him to depart in the summer to kick-start his career again. With his departure likely and a deal for Song hanging in the balance, we probably need to add to our midfield ranks next summer.
