The departure of Vincent Kompany from Manchester City on Sunday could scupper West Ham and Wolves’ pursuit of Argentina international Nicolas Otamendi, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claim that the Belgian’s exit at the end of his contract, with a move to Anderlecht as player-manager revealed shortly after on Sunday (19/05), could leave Otamendi forced to remain at the Etihad this summer despite frustrations over his playing time.
It is stated West Ham and Wolves were both keen on snapping up the 59-cap international as he edged closer to the exit but the reveal over Kompany could put him back in the frame to act as either a first team regular or backup.
Opinion
Otamendi is far too good a footballer to be wasted on City’s bench and at 31-years-old he is not getting any younger. These are the years where he should be playing regularly at the top level and at West Ham or Wolves you know he would be given that chance. Both clubs would be more than happy to make him the linchpin of their defence and his experience and quality would improve them both significantly. Unfortunately it seems as though City are going to keep him on board unless they choose to raid the transfer market for another defensive talent. If he plays then there should be no problems but if he kept solely as backup, as Kompany was for the latter stages of his 11 year Manchester City career, then it is a waste of a quality defender who could make a real impact elsewhere in the Premier League.