da apostebet： According to reports in The Mirror, Everton are interested in signing West Ham United midfielder Pedro Obiang this summer.
da doce： In what was a disappointing season for the Irons in their debut campaign at the London Stadium, the 25-year-old was one of their standout players and he impressed with a string of fine performances in the middle of the park.
Those showings have attracted the interest of Toffees manager Ronald Koeman, and the story suggests that he will need to spend more than £15m to have any chance of bringing the Spaniard to Goodison Park as he still has more than two years on his contract with the Hammers.
Having signed him for just £4.3m in 2015, the east London outfit stand to make a big profit on the midfielder if they decide to sell him, and they could already be targeting potential players they could sign if he does go.
Here are five Pedro Obiang replacements for West Ham…
Leander Dendoncker
With Anderlecht not keen to sell the 22-year-old this summer having already seen Youri Tielemans move to Monaco, a move for the Belgium international could be easier said than done.
The defensive midfielder has quickly established himself as one of the best young players in Europe – he scores six goals in 57 matches in all competitions this season – and if he decides he wants to leave the Belgian First Division A champions and they decide to let him go, there could be a huge fight for his services.
The Irons will know that they will need a big name to replace fans’ favourite Obiang if the Spaniard does leave, and attempting to bring Dendoncker to the club would certainly be a real statement of intent.
Marten de Roon
Despite the fact that Middlesbrough were relegated to the Premier League with a bit of a whimper, it was more to do with their failure to score goals rather than keeping the ball out of their own net.
The Dutchman quickly became a key man in the middle of the park for Boro and after winning 62 aerial duels, making 67 clearances and 48 interceptions, while he also finished the Premier League season as the club’s second top goalscorer having netted four times.
Sam Clucas
Like De Roon, Clucas was one of the standout players for Hull City this season but he couldn’t prevent the Tigers suffering an immediate return to the Championship.
The 26-year-old showed a lot of quality and commitment throughout a tough Premier League campaign though and having made a total of 73 clearances and 52 interceptions, as well as completing more passes (1249) than any of his teammates with an accuracy of 83%, he will surely secure a move back to the top flight this summer.
Fernando
Having made just 27 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City under Peo Guardiola this season – and with Yaya Toure signing a new one-year deal with the club in recent days – the 29-year-old Brazilian looks set to leave the Etihad this summer.
Having already snapped up Pablo Zabaleta on a free transfer as well as eyeing a £20m move for City striker Kelechi Iheanacho, West Ham should certainly be taking a closer look at Fernando if Obiang is allowed to leave the club in the coming weeks.
In just 15 Premier League outings this term, Fernando made 33 interceptions and 15 clearances as well as having an impressive pass accuracy of 88%, and he would certainly strengthen the Irons midfield.
Valentin Rongier
The signing of Dimitri Payet in 2015 shows that West Ham obviously keep a close eye on the French market and if Obiang does leave the London Stadium this summer, then the Irons will certainly be aware of Nantes star Rongier.
The 22-year-old ranked as the best midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues this season when it came to number of tackles and tackle success rate, recording 5.4 per game with a percentage success of 73%.
Those numbers rank him ahead of the likes of Everton’s Idrissa Gueye and Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante, and that ability to win the ball in the middle of the park could make him a target for a number of clubs in the coming weeks.
Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.