OPINION
West Ham United didn’t have the easiest time of things in terms of right backs last season. Summer signing Ryan Fredericks missed several months through injury, while veteran Pablo Zabaleta struggled as the campaign wore on.
However, down the final furlong, Fredericks emerged as one of the better right backs in the Premier League. Gone were the inconsistent displays he produced at the start of the season and around the turn of the year; he’d morphed into a hugely reliable defender.
It’s puzzling, then, to see the Hammers in pursuit of Liverpool right back Nathaniel Clyne this summer. Sky Sports reported earlier this week that Manuel Pellegrini’s side are rivalling Crystal Palace and Bournemouth for a permanent move for a player the Reds value at £15million.
Surely they should steer clear, though. Fredericks has now established himself as the undisputed number one on the right hand side of the defence, while Zabaleta is firmly entrenched as his back up after penning a one year contract extension recently.
The pecking order is already in place, with youngster Ben Johnson looking like a highly promising prospect at the position as well. With all that said, do West Ham really need Clyne, especially for such a vast amount of money?
The answer, you would think, is surely no. It’s time to give Fredericks a run of games to see if he can sustain his excellent form from the end of the season. If he falters, either throw old reliable Zabaleta in or take a calculated gamble on young Johnson.
Either way, Clyne’s arrival would merely cause headaches. This is one move that Pellegrini should really think twice about, the Englishman simply isn’t needed at the London Stadium.