West Ham United Receive Blow In Pursuit Of This Summer Target: Why They Must Step Up The Chase | OneFootball

If a recent report from Calciomercato.it is believed to be true, West Ham United won’t have a free run for Jakub Kiwior with AS Roma, Juventus and the Milan clubs keeping close tabs on the talented Spezia centre-half. The Hammers submitted an offer of around £10m this summer which, however, was rejected by his current employers, Tuttomercatoweb understands.

The 22-year-old Polish prodigy spent his academy stints with GKS Tychy and Anderlecht. While representing Anderlecht U21s, Kiwior was roped in by Železiarne Podbrezová in 2019. There he grabbed senior experience soon after his arrival and went on to feature week in week out before leaving for fellow Slovak outfit Žilina six months later.

Although the club entered liquidation amid the financial crisis, the youngster was retained for his excellence in the heart of the backline. He went on to make 61 appearances for Žilina and the Little Eagles, who scouted him extensively for months, secured his services in the summer of 2021.

Why West Ham United Must Rope Him In

Despite a slow start to life in Italy, Kiwior soon cemented his place in the starting XI under former boss Thiago Motta. He was primarily deployed as a defensive midfielder, but the current chief Luca Gotti restored him to his preferred central defensive role so far this season. He is now a regular for Poland’s senior side after representing his nation at various youth levels and the Hammers, therefore, might reignite the chase even though they tied down Thilo Kehrer and Nayef Aguerd.

Having said that, West Ham United must be ambitious enough to fend off interest from the Serie A hotshots. They are currently well equipped in deep defence as the likes of Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson are competing for the starting spots alongside Aguerd and Kehrer, but the Irons should find a long-term successor for Ogbonna who will be 35 before next summer. Dawson is also on the wrong side of 30 and the exit of Issa Diop suggests how actively the Londoners are pursuing a defensive reshuffling.

West Ham, meanwhile, have been challenging the ‘Big Six’ for the past two campaigns. David Moyes has done an incredible job since taking charge, but the main focus should be on cementing a regular European status. While they are still recovering from a nervy start, the weekend win against Wolves was a much-needed one. It remains to be seen now whether the gaffer sanctions a move for the Polish centre-back and continues the squad reconstruction to attain greater glory in the forthcoming future.