OPINION
West Ham have undoubtedly had one of their most successful transfer windows to date this summer, showing the club’s serious intent to compete amongst the league’s big money-spending sides.
Boss Manuel Pellegrini looks to be showing no signs of letting up any time soon, as the Times have reported that the Hammers have inquired about securing the signature of Lille midfielder Thiago Mendes as the Chilean coach continues to revamp the squad.
Completing his signing would represent how far the Irons have come in a short space of time, topping off a successful summer of spending for Pellegrini, who has planted the seed for great things to flourish in east London.
West Ham look like formidable force with all of these signings and the Brazilian enforcer would only add to the mixture with his defensive capabilities as a midfielder.
Their defence looks relatively young, and that is not to say they are not experienced – they just need a reliable player who can track back and provide cover to them when needed.
The club have already invested heavily in signing forwards in the shapes of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko, and need to bring Mendes to the London Stadium to complete a solid defensive line-up.
The midfielder is currently valued at £18 million by the aforementioned Times report, the type of figure that the Hammers would be willing to spend as they have already done so this summer.
He is relatively unknown to some, but operating as a defensive midfielder means he can hold back and let the more creative thinkers in the midfield pack go forward.
It can be argued that West Ham do not need to make anymore signings, but finishing off their transfer business with this capture will prove to higher-ranked clubs that they are ready to compete with them – and top off their successful summer of spending.