View: West Ham should look to sign James Tarkowski instead of Nathaniel Phillips
It is an open secret that West Ham need to sign a centre-back in the January transfer window.
David Moyes will be looking to bolster his defensive areas following the injury to Angelo Ogbonna who will, unfortunately, miss the rest of the campaign after undergoing surgery.
According to a recent report from The Sun, the Hammers are still looking to sign James Tarkowski in January, and will table a final bid of around £7million to land the Burnley defender.
The report adds that Moyes has also identified Nathaniel Phillips and Ben Davies as backup plans.
Moyes should go for Tarkowski although he is a right-sided defender and may not be a natural replacement for Ogbonna.
Why Tarkowski? Why not Phillips?
The Liverpool defender did extremely well last season when the Reds squad was ravaged with injuries, but he has failed to get into Jurgen Klopp’s side this season.
The 24-year-old has dropped down the pecking order and he would be a decent option for the Hammers. But, there lies the main issue. Moyes needs quality.
With West Ham aiming for the Champions League spot, Moyes needs to sign players who are proven in the league, and someone who is already playing consistently this season.
Tarkowski won’t have a resale value like Phillips, but West Ham should look to extract at least 3-4 quality years from a “fantastic” professional like him. If they can get him at the price quoted, that’s a bargain.
A more holistic approach can be taken next summer, but the January transfer window demands something else.
In other West Ham news, a report has detailed a new clause in Kretinsky’s investment in the club.
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