4 players West Ham United should sell this summer
West Ham United are now no longer a team languishing at the foot of the table, struggling for survival; instead, they are potential contenders for a spot in the top six next season. The recent additions of Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko are real statements of intent for the Hammers, and the pair will undoubtedly pose a huge threat to opposition's defences.
But now, with the new signings coming in, there needs to be a rethink regarding the players in the squad who simply don't deserve their places. There's a handful of mere deadwood in the West Ham set-up that needs to be offloaded sooner rather than later, if they want to have a squad packed with stars.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the four players West Ham should sell this summer.
4. Pablo Zabaleta
Pablo Zabaleta hit his peak several years ago and has been on a gradual decline since then.
Since joining the Premier League in 2008 after being signed by Manchester City for £7.8m from Espanyol, Zabaleta has enjoyed nine years of football at the highest level. His appearances for City have decreased considerably in his last few seasons, with age being a primary factor in why he was unable to keep up with the opposition.
When City put Zabaleta up for sale in the summer of 2017, most pundits expected him to seek football abroad, as his standard of football was simply no longer up to par with the Premier League. What a surprise it was, then, when West Ham signed him on a free transfer. Understandably, many fans couldn't understand why he had been brought into the club, as he offered very little. It was desperation and West Ham fans knew it.
However, due to the sheer lack of depth in the right-back role, Zabaleta played 37 out of 38 Premier League games last season. Despite the fact he was a liability in defence, West Ham were forced to play him as they had no other options. He picked up nine yellow cards over the course of the campaign and set up just one goal.
Zabaleta is now 33-years-old. He's not going to get any better and his value is only going to depreciate. West Ham should ship him out and replace him with a younger, more robust right-back if their aim is truly to finish in the top six.
Where might Pablo Zabaleta go?
There hasn't been any concrete transfer speculation surrounding Zabaleta as of yet, but the most likely destination, should he leave, would probably be Spain. Zabaleta could still do a decent job for a mid-table La Liga side and could possibly even return to Espanyol to see out his career.