West Ham target Matheus Pereira would be a huge upgrade on current playmakers Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals.
On the chalkboard
Per Football Insider, the Hammers are eyeing a possible summer move for the West Bromwich Albion ace, who is currently on loan at the club from Sporting Lisbon. While the Championship club do have the option to spend £8m to bring him in, there is the potential that he could be moved on in the coming transfer window.
And Pereira would be a genuinely exceptional acquisition for David Moyes’ side.
Per WhoScored, the 23-year-old has scored six goals and registered 12 assists thus far this season, with Slaven Bilic’s side currently one point behind league leaders Leeds United.
He has averaged 2.2 shots per game, 2.5 key passes, 1.5 dribbles, is fouled 2.7 times per game, and also has a passing accuracy of 80.7%.
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Compare that to both Lanzini and Fornals.
The former has made just 12 league starts, and has yet to score a goal this season, while he has laid on just two assists.
Again, per WhoScored, he averages one shot per game, 1.5 key passes, 1.7 dribbles, and is fouled 1.2 times, with an accuracy of 86.3%. Fornals, also, has made 15 starts, scoring twice, laying on five assists, averaging just 1.1 shots per game, 0.6 key passes, 0.4 dribbles, with 0.4 fouls. His passing accuracy is 79.2%.
Pereira, thus, is a more productive, more rounded No.10 than the two Hammers; Lanzini may better him in terms of dribbles and passing accuracy, but he does not have the end product offered by the Brazilian.
A massive acquisition
West Ham should be looking to make this move in the next transfer window.
Pereira solves the creativity problem at the club at a stroke, particularly with Lanzini and Fornals having seven assists between them, five fewer than Pereira on his own.
It remains to be seen how much Pereira would cost – he is valued at £10.8m by Transfermarkt – but he would come into the club and instantly upgrade the squad.
If the Irons manage to survive in the Premier League this season, it is a deal that simply has to happen.
Pereira has taken to English football like a duck to water; the Premier League, and potentially West Ham, is the next step.