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West Ham have missed a big trick by not signing this in-form Aston Villa star – could come back to haunt Pellegrini

West Ham have made a blunder by not signing John McGinn this summer

According to a report from Leicester Mercury in June, West Ham were interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn during the summer window.

John McGinn, 24, enjoyed an impressive campaign last season to help Aston Villa to promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs. Villa’s Player of the Season for 2018/19, the Scotsman scored six times in 43 league appearances for Aston Villa last season, also assisting 10 goals.

The midfield dynamo’s performances had caught West Ham’s attention, but they couldn’t get a deal over the line during the summer transfer window. And that could come back to haunt the Hammers, who have again endured a slow start under Manuel Pellegrini.

A 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City and a 1-1 draw with Brighton means Pellegrini’s side have just amassed one point from the first two games of the 2019/20 Premier League season.

New signings Sebastien Haller and Pablo Fornals are yet to make a significant impact on the pitch, while the defence has looked all over the place so far.

Also, the Hammers have looked woefully short in central midfield, which certainly begs a question – why didn’t Pellegrini bolster his midfield options despite knowing last season’s struggles?

Mark Noble is ageing and the likes of Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez cannot be relied upon because of their injury problems. That leaves Declan Rice as the only central midfielder as Pellegrini sold Pedro Obiang to Sassuolo earlier. Here’s where John McGinn could have made a real difference for West Ham.

There’s always question marks regarding a player excelling in the Championship and replicating that form in the Premier League. McGinn, in particular, has taken the Premier League like a duck to water after playing a starring role in Villa’s promotion success.

The diminutive Scotsman has been very good for Villa in their opening two Premier League games of the season, scoring against Tottenham in the season opener and going close twice with superb efforts against Bournemouth last weekend.

Despite two straight defeats, McGinn has caught the eye and is clearly going to be a key player for Villa this season. Villa’s survival hopes could well hinge on how well he fares in the English top-flight and going by his performances thus far, the signs are promising.

John McGinn

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The Scotland international is a technically-gifted, hardworking and tenacious central midfielder with a superb range of passing. He would have provided West Ham with some much-needed bite and fluidity in the middle of the park – something they lacked against Manchester City and Brighton.

Verdict

McGinn could have been the perfect replacement for the ageing Mark Noble. But as things stand, West Ham have missed a big trick by not signing the 24-year-old, who signed a new five-year contract at Villa Park to put an end to any speculation surrounding his future.