James Tomkins is flying high in the Premier League with Crystal Palace while Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham United stutter.
When West Ham United sold James Tomkins to London rivals Crystal Palace in the summer of 2016, few would have predicted that that many of a claret and blue persuasion would be cursing the decision three years on.
Tomkins was a solid servant for The Hammers but £10 million, at the time, looked like a good bit of business for a defender who was far from one of the Premier League’s best (BBC).
So it’s probably more a reflection of West Ham’s ongoing defensive deficiencies, and some rather baffling recruitment, that Hammers fans everywhere are pining for a man who made almost 250 appearances in eight years at the old Upton Park.
Apart from the excellent Issa Diop, are any of the centre-backs at Manuel Pellegrini’s disposal really superior to Tomkins?
Angelo Ogbonna flits wildly between excellent and erratic, Winston Reid never seems to be fit these days and Fabian Balbuena took a torch to his own reputation in that disastrous 3-0 defeat to Burnley.
Tomkins, meanwhile, is going about his work quietly and impressively down the road at Selhurst Park. He provided the platform for a 1-0 win against Bournemouth on Tuesday night which lifts Roy Hodgson’s side, who had 10 men for most of the game, into fifth in the Premier League table.
West Ham could do with a defender as reliable as Tomkins right now.
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