West Ham United have made an offer to sign a new defender ahead of the January transfer window and have already received a reply.
West Ham defence among worst in the Premier League
So far in the Premier League, the Hammers have had their fair share of defensive issues under both Graham Potter and now Nuno Espirito Santo.
In fact, the Irons are yet to keep a single clean sheet in their opening 11 top flight fixtures, having the second-worst defence in the division after conceding 23 goals.
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Everton 1-1 West Ham
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
West Ham 0-2 Brentford
Leeds 2-1 West Ham
West Ham 3-1 Newcastle
West Ham 3-2 Burnley
Only bottom of the table Wolves have let in more (25), with Nuno selecting Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo at centre-back in recent weeks.
Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen was dropped by Potter early into his first season at the London Stadium, with Nuno continuing to use Alphonse Areola in goal.
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If the Irons are to avoid the drop, then clean sheets and defensive stability will need to be worked on over the coming months, with the January transfer window also giving the club the chance to bring in new faces.
Now, it looks as if those behind the scenes at West Ham have their eyes on a defensive gem and have already submitted a bid.
West Ham make £15m+ bid to sign Tiago Gabriel
According to reports in Italy, relayed by Sport Witness, West Ham have made an ‘official offer’ to sign Lecce central defender Tiago Gabriel.
The Hammers’ proposal is thought to be worth €18m (£15.8m), however, this has already been rejected by the Serie A side as they value their 6ft 4 defender at €25m (£22m).
Lecce’s valuation applies to next summer, so it looks as if there is no chance of a January move materialising.
The report adds the 20-year-old has ‘impressed with his on-ground defending and has also been very dominant aerially’, something which can be backed up by FBref as Gabriel ranks in the top 2% of defenders when it comes to aerials won.
Tackles
93rd percentile
Aerials won
98th percentile
Blocks
85th percentile
Clearances
80th percentile
Tackles and interceptions
94th percentile
% of dribblers tackled
99th percentile
Long pass completion
93rd percentile
Also capable of turning out as a right-back if required, Gabriel is under contract at Lecce until 2027, however, both parties have the option to extend that until 2029.
He’s made 11 Serie A appearances in what is proving to be his breakthrough campaign, and by the looks of things, West Ham like what they see.
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