West Ham United reportedly failed in a bid to bring Aissa Mandi to the Premier League from La Liga outfit Real Betis.
Pablo Zabaleta has been one of the Premier League’s best right-backs over the last decade but, at the age of 33, his best years are behind him now.
Even under Manuel Pellegrini, who coached Zabaleta to Premier League glory in 2014, the veteran Argentine defender has started just one of West Ham’s first four Premier League games with Ryan Fredericks seemingly established as the new first-choice right-back.
And reports in Spain that West Ham were keen to sign Real Betis’ Aissa Mandi could cast further doubt on Zabaleta’s future in the capital.
ABC Sevilla claim that The Hammers had a £13.5 million bid rejected for Mandi during the summer. Now, the Algerian international has played mostly at centre-back during his time in Andalusia and the report suggests that is where Pellegrini planned to play him, given that the West Ham turned to Issa Diop after their offer was snubbed.
But Mandi featured primarily as a right-back during his time in France at Reims between 2009 and 2016.
So there is a good chance that he had been identified as a defender capable of playing in two positions across the back four. So it is intriguing to wonder what his arrival would have had on the future of Zabaleta.
After all, there’s an argument to be made that Mandi would have represented a more athletic and dynamic option.
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