According to recent reports from The Daily Mail and The Daily Mirror, West Ham’s move for Samir Nasri may not take place after all. The 31-year-old had been linked with a return to the Premier League with the Hammers in recent times given his current 18-month drugs ban is set to end on December 31, what with manager Manuel Pellegrini seeking a reunion with the midfielder after their time together at Manchester City.

Yet The Daily Mail report that the Frenchman’s wages are of concern to the Hammers hierarchy while The Daily Mirror report that Nasri’s fitness has sent alarm bells ringing around the London Stadium, which all underlines the nonsensical nature of the move, and thus a decision Pellegrini must opt against making.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, there is a small amount of logic in West Ham’s interest in the 31-year-old given Pellegrini is short of options in both the midfield and attacking ranks, what with Carlos Sanches and Jack Wilshere missing in the former, while Andriy Yarmolenko’s lengthy spell out has certainly hindered the latter department.

Thus, there is some logic in targeting free agent Nasri, who hasn’t played since leaving Turkish side Antalyaspor back in January due to a drugs ban, as the 31-year-old would be available straight away to come into the Hammers squad come the New Year.

However, it would be nothing more than a short-term solution as, when the above players return to full fitness, it’s difficult to see how Nasri then commands regular football in a Hammers squad which is significantly stronger than it has been in recent years.

Add in the supremely talented Manuel Lanzini, who has pulled the strings in the Hammers midfield brilliantly ever since Dimitri Payet left East London, and the former France international simply isn’t going to get a look in.

Clearly then, making a move for Nasri would be nothing more than a short-term fix, but even that is up for debate given reports about his lack of match fitness, which shouldn’t be a huge surprise given he hasn’t played football for the best part of 12 months.

In fact, The Daily Mirror report that the Frenchman may not even be fit enough to play come the end of his drugs ban in the New Year, which surely defeats the point of going after the 31-year-old, as he wouldn’t be able to have the immediate impact Pellegrini is looking for.

Yes, Nasri could well go on and become an asset to the Hammers further down the line given his successful previous spells in the Premier League at Arsenal and City, but for a reported £95,000-a-week, it’s a huge risk for Pellegrini’s side to take, especially given he may not even be fit enough to achieve the primary objective, namely providing cover during the injury-crisis.

As such, given the above factors reported by The Daily Mail and The Daily Mirror, a move for Nasri appears absolutely nonsensical, and thus is a decision Pellegrini must opt against making in the coming days and weeks.

West Ham fans… what do you think? Let us know!