OPINION
West Ham should dig deep to win the reported transfer battle for Newcastle United midfielder Isaac Hayden as he ticks all the boxes when it comes to the type of player they should be looking to sign.
The Daily Star reported on Tuesday that with Hayden looking to quit the Magpies in order to move down south, Rafa Benitez’s side will be looking for a club to pay at least £20million to get his services.
The national newspaper claim that two sides are already preparing to battle over the 24-year-old midfield enforcer as the Hammers and Brighton are expected to lead the bidding.
While £20million is a high-price to pay for Hayden in some respects, he is worth splashing the cash on considering how well he could do at the London Stadium.
The midfield enforcer has wowed at St James Park since the turn of the year as his sublime tackling ability, eye for a pass, and determination to be the first to every loose ball has made him able to dominate the midfield battle for his side.
Hayden has even managed to show glimpses of how useful he is when a side is pushing forward to as on the rare occasions he has surged forward he has been successful.
The 24-year-old has scored one goal while registering four assists in his 27 outings this season and considering how normally he doesn’t find himself in the opposition box that’s impressive.
Also when you consider that he is still only 24-years-old, so there’s still room to improve, he could get even better in the coming campaign especially when you consider how he has improved as the current season has gone.
West Ham need a tough-tackling midfielder to help run the midfield battle alongside Declan Rice to arrive in the summer as while Mark Noble has done wonders at times this season, his ageing legs means he can’t be expected to play every game.
Also while some will suggest Jack Wilshere is the right man, his injury record and the fact he seems better when playing in a more advanced role rule him out from meeting that need.
Aside from the Hammers needing a midfielder just like Hayden at the club; he ticks the boxes for them when you consider he can be a long-term solution and because he already has Premier League experience so won’t need too much time to settle in.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side know they need to hit the ground running next season after a mixed bag of a 2018/19 campaign and he needs young raring to go players to help him lead West Ham to success.