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Should West Ham Pursue Liverpool’s Adam Lallana?

By Henry Tomlinson

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 29: Adam Lallana of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on December 29, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 29: Adam Lallana of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on December 29, 2019 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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West Ham United have been linked with a summer move for Liverpool’s Adam Lallana, who is available on a free transfer as his contract is running out at Anfield.

In order to sign Lallana West Ham will have to beat off reported interest from Tottenham, Arsenal and Leicester City. Lallana has had to play in a reduced role for Liverpool since Jurgen Klopp’s appointment as manager in 2015.

The attacking midfielder has suffered from injuries and the emergence of Liverpool’s new attacking style of football, this has really hurt his playing time. According to TransferMarkt.com Lallana has only appeared 86 times for Liverpool since the start of the 2016/17 season.

For a player of Adam Lallana’s caliber that is a very disappointing number, especially considering how promising a player he was when he was at Southampton. Lallana has not been able to continue the form that he showed at the Saints and his early Liverpool career.

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 08: Adam Lallana of Southampton during the Barclay’s Premier League match between Southampton and Stoke City at St Mary’s Stadium on February 8, 2014, in Southampton, England. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images)
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 08: Adam Lallana of Southampton during the Barclay’s Premier League match between Southampton and Stoke City at St Mary’s Stadium on February 8, 2014, in Southampton, England. (Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images) /

The 31-year-old has only scored one goal and provided two assists since his last full season in 2016/17. All of those goal contributions have come in 19 appearances this season, perhaps a sign that Lallana is starting to rediscover some of his earlier forms.

If Lallana was to sign for West Ham, he would have to compete with Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini, Felipe Anderson, Michail Antonio and new boy Jarrod Bowen for a place in West Ham’s attack. Lallana, however, is now the wrong side of thirty and would command a lot of money in terms of wages. This would go against what manager David Moyes has said at a press conference.

"“I want it to be the vision for the Club that we’re looking to bring in young, attractive, hungry players who are saying ‘we’re going to make West Ham better”David Moyes, 28th January."

Next. West Ham should give Seb Haller a wake-up call on the bench. dark

Unfortunately, Lallana does not fit this bill anymore. The move would look like one of David Sullivan’s specials, a player who is past his best and on high wages for a big club. Lallana would have been a fantastic player for West Ham if he had been signed five years ago but signing him in the summer would feel like a step away from what the manager and fans want.