Manuel Pellegrini on key step towards big club mentality ahead of expected raid for West Ham stars

"It's one of the examples that I think we have grown this season." - Pellegrini reveals key step
West Ham United via Getty Images

Manuel Pellegrini has revealed a crucial step in creating the big club mentality he desires at West Ham, and has warned Premier League rivals that the east Londoners are prepared should they come hunting his star names this summer.

While the Chilean’s arrival in Stratford took the headlines, the former engineer also ushered in a new era behind the scenes at West Ham, bringing sporting director Mario Husillos in with him.

The Argentine, a former Malaga player who worked with Pellegrini at the Spanish club, was tasked with reviving the recruitment department and lightening the load on co-owner David Sullivan - a vital structural change if West Ham’s European ambitions are to be realised under the current regime.

“I think the arrival of Mario Husillos was very important for this club,” Pellegrini said. “Because we have a sporting director who is preparing different things that we can do from the next season.”

One thing Husillos will certainly have prepared is a replacement for Marko Arnautovic. The Austrian, denied a January move to China because, according to Pellegrini, the deal did not meet West Ham’s expectations, remains likely to head east this summer, with Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gomez the top target to replace the enigmatic No.7.

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It’s not just Arnautovic the Hammers are ready to replace though. For the first time in what seems a while, their raft of summer signings, eight in total, have largely been a success. The injuries to Jack Wilshere, Carlos Sanchez and Andriy Yarmolenko have been a source of frustration for Pellegrini all season.

However, in Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena, the latter championed by Husillos, West Ham finally have a formidable partnership at the back, playing in front of one of the bargains of the season. While Chelsea and Liverpool broke records to bring in Kepa Arrizabalaga and Alisson Becker, Lukasz Fabianski has been a revelation in east London.

The success of new arrivals, however, leads inevitably to top clubs circling. While Pellegrini concedes that the Hammers remain almost powerless to compete with the might of his former employers at Manchester City and their top six counterparts, fans can now trust in the system to adequately replace departed stars. It won’t take three years to find another Dimitri Payet this time.

“You never know what will happen at the end of the season, maybe other clubs are interested in some of our players,” Pellegrini said. “If it is a big deal for the club and a good contract for the player we must try to change also.

“You must understand that you cannot compete with Manchester City or United, those teams. That is why we did not sell Marko Arnautovic, because it was not a good deal for the club. If at the end of the season you have a good deal for the player, and the player wants to go to a big team, well we need also to replace.

“There are a lot of things that can happen between now and the end of the season. I cannot say if we are going to need one [new player], two or four because we need to finish the season and make an evaluation.”

While the summer remains too far in the distance to nail specifics, West Ham know there is no need for the same amount of new faces in Pellegrini’s second pre-season at the club. He is building a strong, deep squad. One which believes in his philosophy on and off the pitch. During games, the time the 65-year-old says it is most important to show progress, he has West Ham playing with confidence and control, especially at the London Stadium which feels more like home each week.

Away from the pitch, he strives to move West Ham forward, step-by-step, towards embracing a ‘big club mentality’. They are not there yet. More improvements at their Rush Green training ground are certainly needed, and on a performance basis consistency is an issue. The biggest, and most important, step so far though, Pellegrini insists, has been the appointment of his friend Mario.

“That factor is very necessary for every club. You need a sporting director that must see, with having good scouting to bring in players available to buy for our club,” he said. “In big teams you are fighting for big names, but you always need good scouts to try to bring players who are just starting their development. I think Mario is working very well in that way.

“We are going to have different options ready. When we need a goalkeeper, I will have five or six options. That's the work that you don't have time to do as a manager, so it's so important.

“Also if you have a good feeling with him it's more easy for him to find players that he knows, players that I like to have in my squad. It's one of the examples that I think we have grown this season.”

It is a small and simple step, but one the first in what could be a crucial relationship going forward if Pellegrini is to realise his big club dream in east London.

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