West Ham Opinion: Hammers should offer Samir Nasri an extension
According to Sky Sports, Samir Nasri is still unsure whether his future will be at West Ham beyond the end of the season, with the Frenchman admitting that he has only 7 games left to impress manager Manuel Pellegrini.
The Hammers signed the 31-year-old former Arsenal and Man City star on a six-month deal till the end of the season but there have been no talks over an extension. (h/t Sky Sports)
Nasri spent 18 months on the sidelines to serve a doping ban prior to his move to east London in January and has impressed in patches for the Hammers.
The 31-year-old made a dramatic return to the Premier League, assisting Declan Rice’s winner in the 3-1 victory over West Ham in January. He wasn’t able to replicate his heroics in the next fixture against Bournemouth and suffered an injury which ruled him out for a few weeks.
The Frenchman once again proved his worth against Huddersfield Town last week, coming off the bench to assist Javier Hernández and inspiring the Hammers to a remarkable 4-3 comeback win after falling 1-3 behind.
Nasri played a delightful ball from the left to find the Mexican and showed that a player of his calibre doesn’t necessarily need to play 90 minutes to make a difference.
West Ham stayed 9th in the Premier League after that 4-3 victory, two points adrift of Wolves for a Europa League qualification spot, having played an extra game.
Pellegrini has managed to guide the Hammers to a respectable position in the Premier League despite enduring a torrid start to their campaign and he should look to reshape his squad in the summer to close the gap on the top-six next season.
Nasri has looked a bit rusty at times but that is very much normal for a player who didn’t feature in a competitive game for 18 months prior to his arrival at the club. However, as evident from his displays, he is still capable of doing what he does best, that is create chances.
The 31-year-old has averaged 1.2 key passes in just 5 Premier League appearances, two of which have been cameos from the bench.
He has looked really sharp on the ball for a player who has been out of action for a long time and it would be fair to say that the Hammers have looked more organised and creative in the final third when he has been on the pitch.
The Frenchman has always been known for his quality on the ball, link up play and penchant for scoring goals.
While we haven’t seen him find the net just yet, Nasri has certainly proven himself to be a good fit for Pellegrini’s attractive brand of football which necessitates the players to move the ball quickly, link up with short and quick exchanges, as well as play off the ball in the final third.
Both Nasri and Pellegrini know each other very well back from their days at Man City and the Frenchman was certainly one of the key players under the Chilean back in his younger days.
It would be fair to say that Nasri still has enough gas left in his tank to play a pivotal role for a mid-table club in the Premier League and he certainly hasn’t lost his magic.
He has been a bit inconsistent and his fitness levels haven’t been great but a full pre-season and a rigorous training schedule should help him hit top gear next season.
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Pellegrini should look to consolidate and build a formidable squad heading into his second season at east London and Nasri’s quality and his experience of playing at the highest level should come handy for the Hammers.
He has completed the likes of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini, Javier Hernández and Marko Arnautovic well and certainly deserves at least a one-year extension in the summer.
