West Ham United reportedly want Espanyol’s Marc Roca.
West Ham United weren’t as busy as expected in the January transfer window, but they appear to have missed out on a top Spanish talent.
The Hammers brought in Samir Nasri on a free transfer, but no holding midfielders or strikers were brought in despite seemingly needing them.
A host of players were linked with moves to the London Stadium, and reports from SPORT claim that West Ham wanted to snap up Espanyol ace Marc Roca.
It’s claimed that West Ham were the first team to make a move for Roca, but didn’t return with a concrete bid after Espanyol suggested that he would only be sold for his €40million (£35million) release clause.
Whether West Ham return at the end of the season remains to be seen, but Roca is a major talent and would be a huge addition to Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
Roca, 22, was in the Barcelona youth ranks before becoming a star with Espanyol, and his performances have even seen him earn a huge comparison.
Espanyol ace Victor Sanchez told El Pais in 2016 that he felt Roca was similar to Barcelona ace Sergio Busquets – and Sanchez is well placed to know having been a former Barcelona teammate of Busquets.
Sanchez explained that it wasn’t just about style of play, because there are differences between them stylistically, but more because of the way they step up and adapt to new challenges, as they have with Barcelona and Espanyol respectively.
When any player is compared to Busquets, that’s usually a good sign, and Sanchez’s comments suggest that Roca would be able to adapt to the Premier League – if West Ham return with a new move.
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