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West Ham must move on from Midfield duo this window

By Adam Smith

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 29: Carlos Sanchez of West Ham United looks on prior to the Premier League 2 match between West Ham United and Everton at London Stadium on April 29, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 29: Carlos Sanchez of West Ham United looks on prior to the Premier League 2 match between West Ham United and Everton at London Stadium on April 29, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images) /
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Two midfielders must be sold this window for West Ham to reinvest and get their payroll in order to start the season. To fill the gap created by the loss, the Hammers should buy one player to fill both roles.

Carlos Sanchez

I doubt I’ll meet much resistance on this player here, but Carlos Sanchez offers nothing but a hungry mouth to feed to West Ham. The Colombian international is currently the fourth in line for the solo defensive midfield position, and with better, younger options in house, the Hammers should cut ties with him even if it’s on a free transfer.

Why a free? Well simply because of his exorbitant wages. ExWHUemployee revealed Sanchez’s wages on the most recent episode of the West Ham Way Podcast. Believe it or not, Sanchez is in the top tier of earners at the club on a ridiculous £75k/week. This puts him £5k ahead of marquee signing and starting striker Sebastien Haller.

Related Story. Haller deal shows West Ham mean business this upcoming season. light

A free transfer would effectively rule out his wage bill for a team looking to buy him, making him affordable for lower-division/league teams.

In house, Josh Cullen would be a much more reasonable player in this position. At 23, another loan isn’t going to push him farther in his development, but rather a bench position, Premier League training, and Cup matches would be fitting for him. He’s younger than Sanchez, he’s more affordable, and he loves the club. If the Hammers don’t shell out for another midfielder he’s my pick for a replacement.

Sanchez is seemingly the only blemish on Manuel Pellegrini’s time as West Ham manager and transfer dictator. He bought him on the deadline in 2018 and catastrophic knee injury saw him miss just about the rest of the entire season. The lasting memory he conjures for supporters, however, is giving the ball away to Wolves in the dying seconds to lose an extremely important home match to start the season. Time to cut bait on this one.