West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini tried to boost his midfield ranks with the signing of Charles Aranguiz, according to the Daily Star.
The 74-cap Chile international is currently at the Copa America, where his side will line up against Colombia in the quarter-finals on Friday.
And Pellegrini said he wanted his countryman to join him at the London Stadium, but couldn’t convince him. He stated: “I will not talk about conversations, but I can tell you that I would have loved to have many Chilean players who have been figures worldwide.
“In the past I took several: Salas, Rojas, Matías Fernández, Iturra, Moras; I have taken 7 or 8 Chilean players. I tried to take Aránguiz to West Ham, but he did not want to.”
Pellegrini has been keen to improve West Ham’s midfield ranks since he arrived at the club and the injury problems suffered by Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere after being brought to the club last summer will have done nothing to soothe that worry.
It’s little surprise that Pellegrini wanted to take his countryman, who has such vast experience at international level and of major tournaments, to London with him.
Even at 30, he would likely have been a more inspiring signing than Sanchez and West Ham still need to find at least one extra player in the engine room who has that invention and quality from deep, to go alongside Declan Rice.