Whilst managers can be praised for bringing in quality players on the cheap and be lauded as heroes, there’s also the nastier side of football when a transfer doesn’t work. SO far, both Jack Wilshere and Naby Keita have been falling into the latter of the two categories, and we’ll be comparing them ahead of Liverpool’s trip to West Ham.
Jack Wilshere joined the Hammers last summer after his contract with Arsenal expired. Aside from loan moves with Bolton and Bournemouth, the only club that Wilshere had ever known was Arsenal so to see him at the London Stadium has been interesting. Meanwhile, no such loyalties lay with Naby Keita has he made a big money move to Anfield and became the first player since Steven Gerrard to wear the #8.
JACK WILSHERE
Wilshere comes in for a lot of criticism from the media and from fabs, but ultimately the midfielder would be a top, top player had his career not been blighted by injuries. In his time under Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham so far he’s already missed a large chunk of action with a setback, playing just five games in the Premier League before requiring ankle surgery.
Because of that, it’s not entirely the 27-year-old’s fault that he’s been a dud at the London Stadium, but equally, the Hammers will have known what they were getting into when their club opted to give Wilshere a home in Stratford. We’re yet to see the best of the midfielder at his new club, and when we will it will be interesting to see how he fairs away from the familiarity of The Emirates.
TT GRADE: C
NABY KEITA
Liverpool fans have gone strangely quiet on the Naby Keita front. The Reds couldn’t stop talking about the Guinean midfielder when he first joined up with the club over the summer after agreeing to a deal in summer 2017 that would see him spend one more season with RB Leipzig. However, in his seven months as a Red, he’s failed to score a single goal and has just one assist to his name in 22 appearances.
Keita has been the definition of a flop so far, and it will be up to Jurgen Klopp to turn his form around sharpish. It seems crazy that after spending almost £50 million on a player that they can have such little impact, and whether it’s the pace of the Premier League or whatever else that has caused him to be so poor, it’s something that the Anfield faithful are desperate to get straightened out sharpish.
TT GRADE: F
TT VERDICT:
Wilshere deserves some leeway seeing as he’s suffered injury issues so far in his West Ham days. However, Keita has no such excuse and considering it took Wilshere just five games to have an impact and register an assist whilst it took Keita 21, it’s hard to see any way in which Keita wins this battle, meaning that the currently sidelined Jack Wilshere is our winner.
