Pablo Zabaleta latest Manchester City player linked to West Ham

Another day, another transfer rumor. With Manchester City seeming to “underachieve” this season, and with “underachieve” meaning that the team is not running away with the league or playing like Barcelona, speculation about which players are on their way out hits every day.

After the latest rumor that Bacary Sagna is on his way to East London, the rumor mill is now saying that Argentinian international Pablo Zabaleta is the one on his way to West Ham. Or maybe both of them are on their way. Multiple sources are reporting that West Ham is now in the running for both fullbacks who are over 30 years old and available on free transfers with both having contracts that will run out in the summer.

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With fullbacks in short supply at West Ham and with Sam Byram not being fit for the past two matches, rumors are bound to pop up. And since West Ham fans have been clamoring for a right-back for seemingly years, it is no surprise that any whispers that link any big-name players, even if the rumors don’t make any sense, will get repeated and amplified.

Of course, the José Fonte rumors didn’t make any sense at first either, but after Brace The Hammer first reported that Angelo Ogbonna was out for the season due to surgery after playing injured for much of the season, the rumors linking the Southampton captain to West Ham made perfect sense, even the reason was revealed after the deal was done.

Zabaleta was a critical part of the Manchester City team that won two Premier League titles and was talented enough to play in multiple positions for City through the years. However, much like Sagna, he is entering a phase in his career where his best days are clearly behind him. Footballers rarely age like wine, and instead go from “seasoned vet” to “slow and useless” rather quickly. And again, picking up spare parts from teams like Manchester City will not help West Ham make a leap forward, but rather appear to be a sign that the board is more interested in signing the names on the back of the shirt rather than the players that fill them up.