Bacary Sagna rumored to be in talks for West Ham switch

It appears that West Ham United ’s desire to be the London retirement home for footballers might continue next season, as our friends at Bitter and Blue report that West Ham might be in for Manchester City’s Bacary Sagna. TalkSPORT is reporting that Everton might also be interested in signing Sagna, as his contract is up at the end of the season and he would be available on a free transfer. The ex-Arsenal right back transferred to Manchester City in 2014 after joining the Gunners in 2007 from Auxerre. The defender had been a member of the French national team, including being on the French team that bombed out of the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa.

While Sagna was named to the PFA team of the year in 2007-08, his form has dipped the past few years, and he has only made 16 appearances this season in all competitions and has only appeared in 48 Premier League matches in three years at Manchester City.

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While “free” is usually a word that gets people’s attention, as anyone who has ever grabbed furniture from the side of the road can tell you, free isn’t always better. Signing someone like Bacary Sagna on a free is like signing Álvaro Arbeloa on a free. Yeah, he’s a big name but there is usually a reason he is available on a free. As the Bitter and Blue article put it “It would not be heartbreaking to see Sagna depart the club in the summer. Change is certainly needed to take steps forward as a club.”

If West Ham are to live up to the new stadium and the status as being one of the 20 richest clubs in world football, and one of the richest in London, the team needs to focus on bringing in quality players, not players that top teams are looking to dump. West Ham will never beat City with City’s castoffs.

Now if this rumor is all just agent talk, trying to gin up interest in his player, then fans should not be worried. After all, West Ham are linked to just about anyone with a pulse in the gossip pages and it’s no secret that right back is a area of concern. But if this transfer comes to pass, it will be another questionable transfer decision in a series of questionable decisions.