If West Ham United want a midfielder capable of bringing speed, dynamism and goals to the table, they could do worse than a Player of the Month winner deemed good enough – at least by one pundit – for the gleaming white shirt of Real Madrid.
Nuno Espirito Santo does want speed, dynamism and presumably a couple of goals, too.
Whether West Ham United are capable of obliging, only time will tell. As chief football correspondent Graeme Bailey told Hammers News a few weeks ago, when discussing the future of Lucas Paqueta, West Ham must again sell to buy in the New Year.
It remains to be seen whether Paqueta is sacrificed, like Mohammed Kudus was back in July. Kudus’ sale helped finance deals for El Hadji Malick Diouf, Mateus Fernandes, Soungoutou Magassa and Mads Hermansen.
While reports of a PSV Eindhoven price-tag remain sketchy, Ismael Saibari certainly would not come cheap.
Yet, after reporter Ben Jacobs told Give Me Sport exactly what Nuno is looking for in terms of a new midfielder, few appear to fit the bill better than the magical Moroccan.
“Nuno has asked for more pace in midfield,” Jacobs said. “A ‘six’ or an ‘eight’ who can get box-to-box.”
Theo Janssen, a former Netherlands international who has come up against Saibari in his role as Vitesse Arnhem’s assistant coach, feels that the pearl of PSV can aim a little higher, though, than a club in the Premier League’s relegation zone.
Ismael Saibari during PSV Eindhoven v Fortuna Sittard in the Eredivisie
Photo by ANP via Getty Images
MORE WEST HAM STORIES
Theo Janssen explains why West Ham United target Ismael Saibari could play for Real Madrid
Dutch football expert and fellow Moroccan Ali Boussaboun said recently that Ismael Saibari is ‘the best player in the Eredivisie’.
PSV coach Peter Bosz even suggested that Saibiari may be better suited than Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz to the physicality and pace of the Premier League.
Questions have been raised in the past about Saibari’s physique – the iconic Wesley Sneijder admits he felt the stocky yet silky attacking midfielder was ‘too heavy’ at times – but Bosz obviously feels a bulky frame may work wonders for his star man should a move to West Ham actually come about.
The aforementioned Janssen saw Saibari produce nine goals and assists in just six PSV matches in October. No wonder he claimed the Player of the Month award.
A first career hat-trick against title rivals Feyenoord, meanwhile, felt like a real coming of age moment for a man who is starting to perform at levels reminiscent of Cody Gakpo and Memphis Depay before they graduated from the PSV finishing school.
“We all knew he could do it. He’s shown in the past that he’s a great player, but now it’s all come together. He’s truly unstoppable,” Janssen says on Ziggo Sport.
“He’s strong, fast, two-footed, he can head the ball, and he’s technically skilled. Those are all the prerequisites for taking the next step. And he’s 25. That’s also an age to take a step up. I think he can.”
Janssen sees no reason why Saibari could not be a useful addition to the Real Madrid roster, though he believes a more sensible move would be to a club sitting around the top of the B-list.
“I think the German league suits him,” Janssen adds. “RB Leipzig, for example. Just below the world’s top. If Real Madrid is performing well, Saibari could compete there too. But making a difference there is a different story.”
Bailey believes that PSV would be tempted to sell in January for the right price. They sold Gakpo to Liverpool in the midst of a previous Eredivisie title fight, after all.
The transfer expert does feel, though, that West Ham may struggle to attract their more ambitious targets with funds tight and a relegation battle very much still on the cards despite an upturn in form under Nuno Espirito Santo.
“I’ve had a consistent month,” Saibari told Voetbal International while clutching his Player of the Month award. “I’ve had good months before in my career, but it never showed up in the statistics like this!”
In 17 matches, Saibari has scored 10 goals from midfield. He is not the only Netherlands-based midfielder on the Hammers radar, though.
Ajax’s Kenneth Taylor has been linked heavily over in Holland. Hammers News have also been told that West Ham are watching Feyenoord ace Quinten Timber closely, with his contract expiring at the end of this season.
Timber, who is another like Saibari and Taylor who loves to drive forward into the penalty area in search of goals from his number eight role, was a key part of the Feyenoord side which claimed the Eredivisie trophy under Arne Slot in 2023.
“If [Timber] continues to develop as he has, then his ceiling is extremely high because he has undergone great development over the past year. He is a special player,” the now-Liverpool boss told Ziggo Sport last year.
“He has the strength and speed to create overloads. I think he has a very good mentality and is a good lad.”