West Ham should steer well clear of Joe Allen signing

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West Ham United are monitoring Joe Allen, according to the Daily Mail but should the Hammers really pursue the experienced £15m-rated midfielder?

Allen has played 20 times for Stoke City this season, the club third-bottom of the Championship.

That perhaps doesn’t tell the full story, however. Allen has proved his worth in the Premier League, making 199 appearances with Swansea, Liverpool and at the Bet365 Stadium.

West Ham are in need of a defensive midfielder but at 29-years-old is Allen really the right signing?

The Hammers are languishing near the bottom of the Premier League and Manuel Pellegrini is in need of a lift.

In the summer, Pellegrini added a couple of exciting signings.

Pablo Fornals and Sebastien Haller were both added to the ranks for big money and both are currently working their way into life in the Premier League.

The last thing West Ham need to do in January is to go backwards with their recruitment and landing Allen is hardly a signing to delight the disgruntled fanbase.

Allen could probably do a job but he doesn’t really fit in with the ethos of a relatively young squad.

He is currently the captain of Stoke and their disastrous couple of seasons is showing no signs of improving.

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There is also a suggestion of whether or not Allen is any better than what they currently have.

Declan Rice and Mark Noble are the first choice midfield duo, with Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere in reserve.

Although the ex-Arsenal man is currently injured, it’s fair to say that Allen isn’t an improvement on either Rice or Noble.

West Ham would be better off pursuing a young option to potentially take over from 32-year-old Noble in the future.

Allen is a decent player at Championship level but he isn’t the man to lift West Ham up the Premier League.