When reports that West Ham United were pursuing William Carvalho emerged earlier in the window, it looked like the final piece of the jigsaw.
Whatever you think of the Hammers’ summer business, there’s no argument about whether it’s been interesting. Perhaps you feel that signing Pablo Zabaleta and Joe Hart was a mistake, given they’re both possibly past their peaks. Maybe Javier Hernandez can only be effective from the subs bench and it’s certainly true that Marko Arnautovic is a risk, as his red card at Southampton showed.
But if Slaven Bilic could get them firing, it didn’t look half bad. Yet there was one problem with the theory it was that West Ham hadn’t really strengthened in the areas you usually associate with a winning side – the spine.
That’s why the arrival of a player like Carvalho would help. And although the abject performances to start the season point to the inescapable fact that there are bigger problems at West Ham than the names in the squad, it’s true that the centre of midfield is arguably the only part of the team that isn’t – on paper at least – a top half Premier League outfit.
That’s why it’s so concerning that the big-money deal for Carvalho, which was supposed to be so close to fruition even before the first game of the season away to Manchester United, looks like it might not get over the line. Because when you take a good attack and a good defence (again, on paper, because West Ham certainly haven’t shown that they’re actually capable of defending this season) you still need to link them together with a capable midfield. And that’s not something that the Hammers seem to have right now.
And maybe that’s actually the problem so far. And in many ways that could well be the price you pay for strengthening in peripheral positions around your team: in goal, at full-back and with ephemeral players like Arnautovic. Instead of making the middle of the side strong, West Ham have, so far, strengthened in the wrong places.
That’s why it’s vital to get a deal done. Because when you look at the sort of stats that William Carvalho had for Sporting last season, you see what he can bring to the side. Averaging almost two tackles per game and more than one interception is quite a good showing for any midfield player, but there are two reasons why that stands out even more.
One is because Sporting are one of the best teams in a reasonably poor Portuguese league. That means they have most of the ball possession in most of their games, meaning tackles and interceptions are usually hard to come by. The second reason it’s impressive is because Carvalho – whilst he is certainly known as a defensive midfielder – is known more for his contributions when in possession rather than out out of it. He’s not known as a big tackler or a physical midfielder, as such, but he’s known for his passing range and elegance on the ball.
The combination of the two is why he’s been seen as a target for top clubs over the last few years.
And that’s why it’s so important if West Ham can’t get this deal done. Their side, as exciting as it might be, suffers from difficulties in the middle, and that’s usually terminal for a team’s chances. If you’re weak at left-back, that just means you’ll have to deal with more crosses. If you’re weak at centre-back or central midfield, that means you’ll have to deal with attacks that cut right through the middle of the pitch.
Ten goals conceded in the first three games probably shows that Slaven Bilic’s side are giving up chances in the wrong areas of the pitch. And whilst better organisation and defensive structure are certainly needed, you get the feeling that if a central midfielder isn’t brought in, it could be another long season at the London Stadium.
