OPINION
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble is surely having sleepless nights over the Hammers reportedly pursuing Celta Vigo midfielder Stanislav Lobotka.
The Daily Mirror’s Live Transfer Blog (Saturday January 26th 18:21) claimed that the 24-year-old defensive midfielder was keen on joining the Hammers even though a number of Premier League clubs were in the hunt for him.
However while Lobotka didn’t end up arriving in January, it seems the Hammers haven’t stopped considering him an option.
According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, via his website, the Hammers are working on a way to bring Lobotka and teammate Maxi Gomez to the London Stadium this summer.
Lobotka would be a fantastic signing for Manuel Pellegrini to make as the no-nonsense midfield enforcer could make the Hammers defensively stronger next season.
The 24-year-old featured 32 times for Celta Vigo last season and only got booked on one occasion despite consistently making tackles.
This stat shows that Lobotka times his challenges perfectly and that he is a safe presence to have in the middle of the park, as while he will win the ball for his side; he’ll ensure he doesn’t overstep his boundaries and receive his marching orders.
Also the midfield enforcer is a neat passer of the ball, he completed 89.2% of his passes in his 2018/19 season (Source: WhoScored), so won’t lose possession needlessly.
Lobotka’s arrival would therefore see him take Noble’s place in the starting line-up.
The 32-year-old, who earns £50,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac), racked up six yellow cards in 31 league outings in his latest campaign and was lucky not to have more bookings to his name, given how he is normally late making tackles due to his lack of pace.
Lobotka would be a more reliable presence and given his younger legs, would be more mobile than Noble in the Hammers midfield.
So given that the Hammers are still reportedly pursuing the 24-year-old, then Noble is surely having sleepless nights as his first-team spot could soon be in jeopardy.