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West Ham would be stupid to not pursue Barcelona’s Denis Suarez

By Adam Smith

LEON, SPAIN - OCTOBER 31: Denis Suarez of FC Barcelona in action during the Spanish Copa del Rey match between Cultural Leonesa and FC Barcelona at Estadio Reino de Leon on October 31, 2018 in Leon, Spain. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
LEON, SPAIN - OCTOBER 31: Denis Suarez of FC Barcelona in action during the Spanish Copa del Rey match between Cultural Leonesa and FC Barcelona at Estadio Reino de Leon on October 31, 2018 in Leon, Spain. (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images) /
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The biggest area of need for West Ham in the January transfer window is the midfield. West Ham have been linked with a high-risk, high-reward move for Barcelona’s Denis Suarez to solve their midfield woes.

The quest is simple – find a midfield partner for Declan Rice. One who can help dictate play, carry the ball, pass off to the forwards, and help insulate the defense from centrally based attacks. As it stands right now, West Ham are stuck between using Mark Noble and Pedro Obiang to fill this position in Manuel Pellegrini’s 4-2-2-2 formation.

Until Jack Wilshere and Manuel Lanzini return from injury there is no true understanding of what West Ham have for options alongside Rice, but for January transfer window the target is to find a stop-gap for that role. Obiang is far too inconsistent and Noble is running his legs into the ground, so should West Ham turn to European giants Barcelona for an answer?

Yes. Yes, they should.

That answer would be the out-of-favor central midfielder Denis Suarez. The Spanish player is just 25-years-old and has been all but forgotten in the Barcelona starting XI this season. With just 17 minutes in La Liga action, Suarez needs a move away from Barca to continue his progression as a footballer. With eyes on European football, West Ham is the perfect outlet for him.

Pellegrini and Husillios have made it clear that any players coming into the team would likely be brought in on either discounted rates or loan deals with options to buy in the summer. Barcelona have had recent success in moving out a fringe player to the Premier League like this in Gerard Deulofeu’s move to Watford who was initially a loanee.

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The deal could be exactly the same for Suarez to West Ham. The deal that dislodged Deulofeu from Barcelona was €13 million with add-ons and sell-on percentage in what is looking like a steal for the Hornets. He was initially loaned to Watford in January of 2018, where he was indoctrinated with manager Javi Garcia’s game plan to which he has taken to very well.

Before signing with Barcelona in 2016 Suarez was described by Bleacher Report as a natural playmaker who can take possession into the opponent’s end and open up defenders with his dribbling or incisive passing. He also can be played as a wide midfielder due to his passing and pace.

This is exactly what West Ham need, a player not afraid to run with the ball and challenge the opposition down the middle of the pitch. Jack Wilshere showed glimpses of these traits within his brief healthy stint with the club, but his injury record makes him far too unreliable. Lanzini can do all of these things as well but is not very defensively minded, suited for an attacking role better.

Barcelona have also agreed to sign pending free agent midfielder Adrien Rabiot who is on an expiring contract at PGS. Rabiot comes with a much higher pedigree than Suarez and thus a higher wage demand. Barcelona will upgrade their midfield options with Rabiot making Suarez even more expendable than he already is.

With a history with Unai Emery, Denis Suarez has been linked to Arsenal for a January move. The rumored fee is £20m and with the impending loss of Aaron Ramsey, I guess the deal makes sense on paper but the rise of midfield youngsters Matteo Guendouzi, and Lucas Torreria is there a starting position for Suarez? Surely he wouldn’t prefer to sit on Arsenals bench over Barcelona’s.

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Barcelona have also delt Yerry Mina and Andre Gomes to Everton in the summer transfer window much like Deulofeu. There is a willingness by Barcelona to move players to clubs where the players will get an opportunity to play. Suarez is a Barcelona B team prospect and can help carry on the name of his parent club by succeeding at West Ham. It’s a perfect fit for West Ham who should look to loan the player first, saving funds and rationality for the summer window.

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