West Ham news: Comparing Hammers targets Shelvey and Mooy

After a disastrous start to the season which saw them pick up just 8 points in their first 11 games, West Ham have turned their season around spectacularly and are now placed 11^th, just 5 points off 7th-placed Wolves.

Manuel Pellegrini’s side have a very small chance of finishing in the top 7 but irrespective of where they finish in the league, the Hammers will have to bring in reinforcements in the summer.

The Hammers need to address their midfield options first. Mark Noble will be well into his thirties at the start of next season and Declan Rice is attracting heavy interest from the bigger clubs in the Premier League.

West Ham have been linked with two realistic options in Jonjo Shelvey (£20m move) and Aaron Mooy.

Shelvey’s spot in the Newcastle line-up has taken up with the emergence of Issac Hayden and Sean Longstaff. Aaron Mooy’s Huddersfield Town’s fate was sealed last weekend after the defeat to Crystal Palace saw them drop down to the Championship.

How have the two veterans fared so far this season in terms of numbers? Let’s find out:

Defensively

Aaron Mooy has been a leader in an otherwise terrible campaign so far Huddersfield. The Australian midfield powerhouse averages 2.3 tackles, 0.5 interceptions, 0.8 clearances and 0.5 aerial duels so far this season. (WhoScored)

Shelvey has failed to get proper game time with Newcastle, having featured just 13 times in the league so far. The Newcastle man averages 1.6 tackles, 0.5 interceptions, 0.8 clearances and 0.8 aerial duels so far. (WhoScored)

Verdict: Aaron Mooy

Offensively

Shelvey is yet to score this season but has managed to provide an assist for the Magpies. He averages 1.5 shots at goal, 1.7 key passes, 5.8 long balls per game but boasts of just 69% passing accuracy. (WhoScored)

Mooy, on the other hand, has two goals and an assist to his name so far and averages 1.6 shots at goal, 1.6 key passes, 2 long balls and an impressive passing accuracy of over 80%.

Both players have very similar attacking numbers to their names but Mooy, with his better passing accuracy, edges it but only just. (WhoScored)

Verdict: Aaron Mooy

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Conclusion

West Ham have been linked with two extremely similar players to solve their problems in central midfield but Aaron Mooy’s numbers are slightly superior to Shelvey’s so far this season.

Shelvey’s injury concerns over the years are also a massive risk for the Hammers and they should stay away from him.