West Ham chasing move for £18m “leader”

It wouldn’t be hyperbolic to suggest that West Ham United are in the midst of a crisis.

What little hope emerged before Christmas has all but disappeared, as Nuno Espírito Santo seems incapable of getting a positive result with this team.

The Portuguese manager has overseen one win in the last nine games, and worse than that, handed Wolverhampton Wanderers their first win of the Premier League season last time out.

Fortunately, the powers that be are seemingly trying to save the season by going big in the transfer market, and if reports are to be believed, West Ham could still bring in someone who’d be an even better addition than Taty Castellanos.

West Ham target better signing than Castellanos

While some fans might argue that it’s too little too late, West Ham are doing what they can to avoid relegation this season by going big in the January transfer window.

So far, the Hammers have signed Pablo Felipe from Portuguese club Gil Vicente on a four-and-a-half-year deal and Lazio striker Valentin ‘Taty’ Castellanos on a four-and-a-half-year deal.

There is no denying that the club needed reinforcements, and the two forwards could certainly make a difference in the second half of the season.

However, other areas of the team feel more in need of reinforcing, which might explain why the club continue to be interested in another potential star, someone who’d be an even better addition to the team than at least the former Lazio ace.

At least that is according to Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, who claims that West Ham are still interested in English defender Charlie Cresswell.

The £17k-per-week 23-year-old has been impressing for French outfit Toulouse, and while no contact has been made between the two clubs, the Hammers “are keeping a close eye” on the promising talent.

Were the East Londoners to make a move before the window slammed shut, then, according to older reports, they might have to cough up around £18m for the former Leeds United ace.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Cresswell’s ability and potential, it’s one West Ham should pursue, especially as he’d be a better signing than Castellanos.

Why Cresswell would be a better signing than Castellanos

Okay, fundamentally, there are two key reasons why Cresswell would be a better signing than Castellanos, and the first is what the team needs.

While they certainly haven’t been great, West Ham have not been dire in attack this season.

As things stand, the Hammers have scored 21 goals in the league, which is as many as Sunderland and just one fewer than Crystal Palace and Everton.

Moreover, new signing Pablo has already scored ten goals and provided one assist in 14 games this season.

Therefore, with the former Gil Vicente ace now in the team as well, it seems bizarre to spend so much on the Lazio star who has just two goals and three assists to his name in 12 games this year.

Now, in contrast to the attack, the Irons’ defence has been diabolical so far this year.

For example, as things stand, the club have conceded a whopping 41 goals, which is unsurprisingly the worst record in the league bar none.

That brings us to the second reason Cresswell would be a better signing: in addition to simply reinforcing a weak point in the team, the Englishman also appears to be a quality player.

Don’t just take our word for it, though, as respected analyst Ben Mattinson described the 23-year-old as a “proper leader at the back” during the summer when he helped England win the U21 Euros.

Moreover, as his underlying numbers make clear, the 23-year-old is a brilliant combination of a modern ball-playing and no-nonsense old-school defender who isn’t afraid to get stuck in.

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for actual and expected non-penalty goals and for touches in the opposition’s penalty area; the top 5% for aerial duels won; the top 12% for clearances; and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while their attacking additions might prove helpful, West Ham should go all out to sign Cresswell, as he would be the most crucial bit of business they do this month.

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