Having appointed Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham United, here is why the club should pursue Yaya Toure to usher in a progressive footballing era.
West Ham United have today confirmed the appointment of former Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini on a three-year deal (Sky Sports News), ushering in, what fans will hope, is a new era of progressive and attacking football at the London Stadium.
Chairman David Sullivan has emphasised the ambition to play attacking football and believes the Chilean is the right man to shake things up. First comes new recruitment, and the priority signing is staring the club in the face.
Three-time Premier League winner and Manchester City legend Yaya Toure should unquestionably be on the Hammers’ wish-list this summer as the marquee signing, with the Ivorian having decided to part ways with his beloved club after eight years.
The veteran midfielder may not be the player of 2013 anymore – having scored 20 goals en route to lifting the league title under Pellegrini – but he still possesses elite quality and, placed alongside industrious midfielders like Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate, his creative play and exceptional vision would keep West Ham ticking over and dominating possession in ways they have not seen in recent years.
Toure is essentially the perfect player to spearhead a shift in philosophy, representing exactly what Pellegrini expects from his sides and, more so, his experience would assist in the translation of the manager’s ideas onto the pitch.
The 35-year-old may have been on a staggering £220,000-a-week at the Etihad (via Spotrac), but he surely cannot expect to continue earning that kind of money these days, and especially not in England.
The chance to become the main man for West Ham and to be reunited with a beloved manager is surely an incredibly attractive prospect for Toure also.
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