West Ham United have often been guilty of keeping players at the club for long past their sell-by date, with Arthur Masuaku perhaps the prime example of someone who has never consistently impressed in a Hammers shirt.
Should West Ham sell Masuaku?
West Ham signed the DR Congo international back in 2016 in a deal worth £6m, as he joined from Greek giants Olympiacos.
It speaks volumes about West Ham's regression this season that Masuaku was originally brought in as a backup to Aaron Cresswell and seven years later that is arguably still the case.
The summer signing of Emerson from Chelsea meant that Masuaku was relegated to third-choice left-back in David Moyes' squad, and he was promptly sent out on loan to Besiktas.
While the Turkish side have an option to purchase the 29-year-old defender this summer, there is no guarantee that they will do so, although he has impressed with his performances in the Super Lig so far this campaign.
As per WhoScored, the former Valenciennes man has contributed two goals and three assists in 23 top-flight appearances, averaging a strong 7.03 rating for his performances.
For context, this is better than anyone in West Ham's squad has managed this season, with Declan Rice ranked as the top performer with a 6.96 average rating, which suggests that Moyes may have sold the wrong left-back last summer.
However, Masuaku's poor performances in the Premier League cannot be ignored, as last season saw him average a disappointing 6.67 rating from WhoScored across just 13 appearances in the top flight.
Injuries would plague the £40k-per-week defender throughout his time in east London and while it might be tempting to bring him back to the London Stadium this summer after a consistent season, especially with Emerson and Cresswell flattering to deceive, the evidence suggests that he cannot cut it in the Premier League.
Gary Neville would label the defender "rubbish" after a defeat against Manchester United in 2017, while Thierry Henry also didn't hold back in his criticism, saying:
"Look at Masuaku there. He is laughing at Lukaku. Lukaku was not laughing. If you defend like this you are going to get punished. You cannot defend like this. I know you are playing in the Theatre of Dreams, but you cannot be day-dreaming like that.”
Regardless of the division that West Ham find themselves in next season, they must remember that Masuaku has been warming the bench for the most part of 345 weeks as a contracted player, and it is time for the club to move on and properly replace Cresswell in their starting side.
As Neville put it in harsher terms, he has simply not been enough for the Irons for far too long. A farewell must be forthcoming.
