West Ham United right back Pablo Zabaleta will be offered a new contract at the club no matter if he triggers his one year extension clause or not, according to Claret & Hugh.
The reliable Hammers news source claims that the Argentine is set to be handed fresh terms, regardless of whether he makes the 28 appearances necessary to trigger a year’s extension clause in his current deal.
There has been speculation in recent times that the 34-year-old might retire in a few months time, but Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini is said to be willing to do whatever it takes to keep him at the London Stadium.
The former Manchester City man has already made 23 appearances this campaign, making it likely that he’ll hit his target of 28 anyway, but whatever happens he will be offered a new contract in East London.
OPINION
Zabaleta has endured something of a tricky second half of the season having excelled in the opening few months of the campaign. He won his first team spot back from summer signing Ryan Fredericks in quick order and continued to excel up until Christmas. Since the festive period, however, he has begun to look his age a little bit. Fredericks has returned from injury and become Pellegrini’s first choice right back, with Zabaleta featuring every now and then rather than week in week out. Given this state of affairs it’s slightly surprising that the West Ham manager is still so keen to bring the veteran back next season. From a footballing perspective it doesn’t quite make sense. However, Zabaleta brings a lot more to the table than just his on-the-field product. He is an experienced campaigner with a winning mentality, and is probably someone who is great to have around the place during the week. It’s likely as much for these sorts of qualities as his football, that his manager wants him back next time round.