West Ham United are reportedly pushing to sign Gary Medel.
The transfer window isn’t even open yet, but West Ham United are already pushing to make a signing for January.
The Hammers have seen Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere – two summer signings – go down with an injury, and that has left Manuel Pellegrini needing a new midfielder.
Pellegrini may have a number of options in mind, but he appears to be targeting a deal for his fellow Chilean Gary Medel, formerly of Cardiff City.
Now with Besiktas, Medel could be on the move in January, as Sky Sports report that West Ham are heading to Turkey for talks about a deal.
The 31-year-old may have played in the Premier League but some West Ham fans could be unfamiliar with Medel, who has also turned out for Boca Juniors, Sevilla and Inter Milan.
One man who certainly loves Medel is Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa, as he coached him with Chile and wanted to sign him for Marseille, as quoted by Marca in 2014.
West Ham fans may be interested to know what Bielsa thinks of Medel, and comments made at the 2010 World Cup to El Austral sum it up well.
Bielsa suggested that Medel – known as ‘The Pitbull’ – is a player with ‘defensive ferocity’, and talked up his versatility to not only play in midfield but also as a centre back, which could be valuable to Pellegrini.
“It is clear that Gary is a player with defensive ferocity, who likes to take the ball away from the opponent,” said Bielsa. “he has that ability, he is also the best header in the team, it does not seem unreasonable for me to play him in that position, he is very powerful,” he added.
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