West Ham should follow-up their interest in Aaron Mooy in January
According to an earlier report from The Times, West Ham were interested in signing Australian midfielder Aaron Mooy from Huddersfield Town in the summer.
The same report claims that the Australian rejected offers from Southampton and Brighton and Hove Albion to join Huddersfield on a permanent basis after spending time at the Kirklees Stadium on loan from Manchester City.
The 28-year-old joined the Terriers on loan from City back in 2016 and was one of the stars of their promotion-winning campaign in the Championship, scoring 4 goals and providing 7 assists.
Mooy, who played every minute of Australia’s World Cup campaign in Russia, was an influential figure in the midfield for David Wagner as the Terriers managed to stay alive in the Premier League.
The Australian has carried his fine form into the ongoing season as well, scoring a brace in Huddersfield’s latest 2-0 win over Wolves which saw the Terriers climb out of the relegation zone to 14th in the standings.
Standing at 5ft. 8 inches, the Australian is not quite capable of stamping his authority in central midfield with his aerial prowess but he makes up for it with his tenacity and willingness to put in the hard yards. He is not particularly quick but his ability to time his challenges to perfection makes him a valuable asset in the midfield.
The 28-year-old is renowned for his ability to win back possession in midfield with crunching tackles and he certainly possesses the creativity to set-up attacks from a deep position. The Australian is adept at linking up with his teammates in the midfield and tends to dictate proceedings with his flawless passing and immaculate distribution.
Apart from that, Mooy has a powerful right foot that is capable of firing pile-drivers into the top corner. A set-piece specialist, Mooy excels with his deliveries into the box from corners and indirect free-kicks and also has a good conversion rate from direct free-kicks just outside the box.
Mooy has averaged 50.6 passes per game with an accuracy percentage of 80.4 in the Premier League this term, including 1.5 crosses and 2.7 successful long balls per game. To add to that, he has averaged 2.6 tackles, 1.9 shots and 1.6 key passes per game in the Premier League, figures which are quite impressive for a central midfielder. As evident from the statistics, Mooy is someone who contributes equally to both the defence and the attack.
And that is exactly the reason why West Ham should reignite their interest in the Australian ace. The Hammers have struggled for consistency this season and their campaign has been marred due to injuries to several of their key players.
Injuries to Jack Wilshere and Carlos Sanchez have rendered Manuel Pellegrini short of options in central midfield. Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble have been in and out of the team due to injuries, causing Declan Rice to run out of partners.
West Ham should not make the mistake of relying too much on Jack Wilshere as has been susceptible to recurrent injuries in the past. Carlos Sanchez is already 32 and is ruled out for the season after undergoing a knee surgery.
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The Hammers need someone to act as a link between defence and attack and Aaron Mooy perfectly fits the bill at the east London club.
That said, West Ham should follow up their interest in the Australian when the transfer window reopens in January and table a handsome bid to land him.
