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According to reports from The Sun, West Ham are lining up Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia as a potential replacement for right-back Pablo Zabaleta, who is yet to confirm whether he’ll continue playing at the end of the current campaign.

But is signing another defender, albeit one with vast title-winning experience, really the answer for the Irons, or will trying the same trick twice in the transfer market backfire on them? Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts on the potential summer swoop below…

Will Jones

“It’s almost like they refuse to learn. Have they already forgotten what Patrice Evra was like at the London Stadium last season? The modern game is not the place for ancient full-backs. If the Irons are serious about escaping persistent mid-table mediocrity, they must stop buying players who can’t run.”

James Beavis

“West Ham showed signs that they were finally snapping out of their old ways with summer deals for the likes of Felipe Anderson and Issa Diop – younger players with a ceiling to still grow and improve – and they need to carry on that strategy if they are to carry on their own development as a club. Signing players like Valencia – who is now past his best – is not going to help them in the long-term and, anyway, is he even better than Ryan Fredericks?”

Harry Sherlock

“It really depends on how they plan to use him. If Valencia is coming in to be something of a mentor to the likes of Fredericks, then why not? He’d have to accept a reduced contract, of course, compared to what he’s earning at United but Valencia is better than Zabaleta and has the ability to play more matches than the former Manchester City star. As for whether he goes straight into the starting XI, that’s for Manuel Pellegrini to decide. But as a quasi-coach, Valencia could do a lot of good for West Ham.”

Billy Meyers

“West Ham’s right-back position will lose its credibility if they sign 33-year-old Valencia to replace 34-year-old Zabaleta – their right side of defence is fast becoming a retirement home for Manchester’s cast-offs. Pellegrini needs to make it his mission this summer to freshen up that area of the field by signing someone below the age of 28 at least – by not doing so, he will only face the exact same issue he has with Zabaleta again in a year or two.”