TalkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has heaped praise on a reported West Ham United transfer target who they are apparently in pole position to sign.
Who could West Ham sign in January?
The winter transfer window is slowly approaching and manager David Moyes will see it as a prime opportunity to strengthen his Hammers ranks. There are currently a fair few players who look set to leave when their contracts expire next summer, a long list including the likes of Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, Ben Johnson, Vladimir Coufal, Michail Antonio, Conor Coventry, Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski and Angelo Ogbonna (Transfermarkt).
Coufal, Antonio and Soucek's deals contain options for the club to extend by another year, but reports have suggested that the latter could still be sold in January if talks over a new and improved contract go nowhere (Football Insider). Elsewhere, it is rumoured that Fornals, Johnson and Coventry are set to leave in 2024; which could mean the east Londoners need to think about replacing them.
Amid doubts surrounding the futures of both Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma also, who are reportedly attracting big-money interest from Saudi Arabia, West Ham are believed to be eyeing up a new centre-half. Bayer Levekusen defender Edmond Tapsoba has been linked, while the Moyes could go back in for Man United defender Harry Maguire.
Harry Maguire transfer update
The England international, who has struggled under Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford this last year, has been linked with a move to the London Stadium yet again very recently. Indeed, a West Ham transfer update from Football Insider this week claimed that West Ham are in pole position to sign Maguire if he decides to leave in January.
Now, talkSPORT's Agbonlahor has heaped praise on the 30-year-old amid these reports, claiming he would be the "perfect" man-for-man replacement for Zouma. Commenting on the latter player's exit links, Agbonlahor told Football Insider:
“That’s one I can picture happening. I don’t know when, but I can see Kurt Zouma in Saudi Arabia. He will know players who are over there playing, and the money will be just so hard to turn down.
“He’s approaching his thirties now, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him make that move in the near future. West Ham, then, would probably have to go back in for Maguire. It would be the perfect man-for-man replacement.”
While the Englishman hasn't exactly been on top form lately, ten Hag did call him a "dictating" player earlier this year, all while praising Maguire's attitude and application in training.
Likes to play long balls
Indirect set-piece threat
"Definitely. I'm really happy with the progress that Harry is making in this moment," said Ten Hag to the media in March.
"He's more dominant and dictating, he's taking more initiative on the training pitch and I think also in the Real Betis game, he showed leadership, especially in those aspects of initiative and dictating of the game."
