Anthony Onifade

Fri 22 September 2023 21:10, UK

West Ham United fans were left in a panic after Angelo Ogbonna gifted Serb minnows TSC Backa Topola the lead in their 3-1 Europa League win on Thursday and a perfect defensive replacement will become available in January.

Less than two minutes into the second period, David Moyes’ men appeared safe in their own territory when Ogbonna received the ball as the last man but his lapse in concentration and hesitancy allowed Petar Stanic to go one-on-one with Lukasz Fabianski to put Backa Topola 1-0 up.

Following the 3-1 win on Thursday, the Italian international sent an apology to West Ham United fans after his mistake.

Taking to X (21 September), the centre-back acknowledged his self-confessed “mistake” while celebrating the win as a Mohammed Kudus double and a Tomas Soucek header bailed him out and secured all three points for the East Londoners after that scare.

The Italian, who captained his side in this clash, has hardly put a foot wrong all year when he’s featured, so Hammers fans putting their virtual arms around Ogbonna’s shoulder is warranted.

However, Ogbonna’s mistake was a poor one. He looked quite unassured on the ball and seemed to be playing a fraction of a second behind everyone else before Stanic pounced in behind him and put Topola in front.

At 35 years old, it’s clear the former Juventus man isn’t getting any younger and such an error may become an increasing regularity in his game, for which West Ham United and Moyes must be efficient and proactive to address in the January transfer window.

And one centre-back they were interested in all summer long (90min, 3 July) but couldn’t seal a summer move to East London will be available in January presenting Moyes with the perfect answer to his Ogbonna conundrum and that man is Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah.

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, taking to his personal Twitter account (21 September), the Cobham academy product will be expected to depart Stamford Bridge in January after his failed summer move to Bayern Munich and his rejection of Nottingham Forest.

Romano tweeted: “Trevoh Chalobah, still expected to leave Chelsea in January — Pochettino denied English CB being ‘frozen out’ after move rejected on Deadline Day but feeling is clear.

“Chalobah was keen on Bayern move in the final weeks of summer window — he rejected Nottingham Forest.”

After the Hammers failed move for Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire, the East Londoners managed to snap up Konstantinos Mavropanos instead but will certainly be in the market for another in the winter window.

And given their impressive record when doing business with Chelsea, Chalobah represents a smart and sensible acquisition to replace Ogbonna in the long-term.

The last time West Ham signed a defender from Chelsea was last summer when Emerson Palmieri arrived, and he helped take the team to a new level once he finally settled.

Before that, it was Kurt Zouma, who has become a stalwart of the team and our best defender. He has excelled since joining and something similar could be on the cards if Chalobah were to make the move.

Chalobah’s tenacity, aggression and assuredness in possession and with his ability to play right-back will be a helpful addition to Moyes’ backline, and he comes with the backing of legendary defender Rio Ferdinand who admitted he was “massively impressed” after watching him.

It would be shrewd business if West Ham United can pull it off, and given Chelsea’s current stance regarding his role in the team, he may be cheaper than the £45m that was his rumoured price tag all summer (Jacob Steinberg, 31 July).

In other West Ham news, the East Londoners may well have found their next Declan Rice in one burgeoning Belgian talent, an ambitious bid could be on the cards in January.