Frank McAvennie urges West Ham to sign Balbuena replacement in summer
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
Frank McAvennie wants West Ham to sign a replacement for Fabian Balbuena in the summer transfer window if he leaves.
According to Claret & Hugh, Balbuena has decided that he will leave the London Stadium at the end of the season when his contract expires.
Last month, The Express reported that Stoke and Australia centre-back Harry Souttar had emerged on the radar of the Hammers as David Moyes eyed reinforcements for his defence in the summer.
Crystal Palace and Wolves are also said to have shown interest in the 22-year-old, who’s brother John plays for Hearts and Scotland.
McAvennie admits he’s not heard of Stoke’s Soutter but trusts Moyes to bring in players who fit his system in East London.
“I think you need four centre-halves so if Balbuena is leaving, I think you need to get a replacement,” McAvennie told West Ham Zone.
“[Aaron] Cresswell’s been playing there and he’s not a centre-half. Moyes plays him in a three but I’d like to see three centre-halves play.
“I don’t know the boy (Souttar) but David Moyes has his own ideas on the way they play and he’s getting a team who are moulding into his team. They’re hard to beat but they get the ball and they’re quick in the attack.”
Souttar has been a mainstay of Stoke’s defence in the Championship this season with the 22-year-old earning 33 second-tier appearances for the Midlands club.
He also earned his first call-up to the Australia national team in October and scored four goals in his two caps that came against Nepal and Chinese Taipei in World Cup qualifying.
While scoring goals against some of the smallest nations in the world in football terms isn’t impressive, Souttar is a 6ft 6 centre-back who’s made waves in the Championship for Stoke.
Speaking in February, Potters boss Michael O’Neill was quoted by the Stoke Sentinel as saying: “I do think [Souttar’s] done extremely well. I also think there’s a lot more to come as well. He now has to push for that.”
O’Neill added: “Harry has all the attributes to go to the top level of the game and our responsibility as coaches and managers is to help him do that. If we do that, it’s going to, in turn, help us as a club.”
According to stats by Wyscout, Souttar ranks third for defensive duel success rate [78.45%] and sixth in the Championship for interceptions per 90 minutes of game-time [6.99].
He’s also shone in the air, winning the fifth-most aerial duels inside his own penalty area [69] and also boasting the ninth-best success rate at winning headers [70.59%].
While Souttar isn’t a Championship leader in any of these categories, he’s clearly someone who’s shining in multiple areas when it comes to his defensive duties.
Could it be time for him to step up to the Premier League?
McAvennie thinks we need a replacement for Balbuena so why not see if Souttar can come in and learn his trade in the background before establishing himself as a starter in the future?
In other West Ham news, our panel of Super Fans want Pablo Fornals to start against Wolves.