West Ham: Dharmesh Sheth drops Attila Szalai update | OneFootball

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Attila Szalai to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Dharmesh Sheth, with the Sky Sports journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that David Moyes’ side, as well as both AC Milan and Newcastle United, are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Fenerbahce centre-back ahead of a potential move this month.

Sheth went on to state that all three clubs are currently in the market for a new defender, while the Turkish side are believed to be demanding a figure of between €15m-€20m (£12.5m-£17m) to part with the 23-year-old during the winter window.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Interest from Premier League & Serie A in Fenerbahce defender Attila Szalai. West Ham United, Newcastle United & AC Milan looking at him. All in the market for a centre-back. Hungary international. 23 years old. Would cost around €15m-€20m.”

Would Szalai be a good signing for £17m?

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Szalai would be an “exemplary” signing

Considering just how much potential Szalai quite clearly possesses, in addition to the fact that West Ham are lacking any real strength in depth in the heart of their defence, it would certainly appear as if a move for the Hungary international would be a very wise one for Moyes to make this month.

Indeed, over his 21 Super Lig appearances last season, the £13.5m-rated centre-back – who is also adept at playing both left and right-back – was in exceptional form for Fenerbahce, helping his side keep six clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 2.5 clearances and winning 60% of his duels per game.

The £15k-per-week defender also chipped in for his side going forwards, scoring three goals and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 0.8 shots and making 51 passes per fixture.

These returns saw the player who Emre Belozoglu dubbed an “exemplary” talent earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as his club’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of Turkish football.

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How many Premier League goals did West Ham United score in the 2020/21 Premier League season?

57 62 67 72

As such, when taking into account just how much West Ham have struggled defensively in the absence of both Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna – keeping just two clean sheets – it would very much seem as if the Hammers could do with the addition of a fresh face in the position this January.