West Ham United could have Kurt Zouma heir as Konstantinos Mavropanos impresses in early appearances
West Ham United had a busy end to the summer transfer window after what was a rather slow start, which has seen them sign several incredibly talented players.
James Ward-Prowse and Mohammed Kudus have stolen the headlines as the biggest additions to David Moyes’ side, but one player who has performed exceptionally since making the switch to the London Stadium is Konstantinos Mavropanos.
The Greek defender joined the Hammers for an initial £17 million with a further £2 million expected to be paid in add-ons [Sky Sports, 23 August] and so far he has been limited to start in the Carabao Cup and Europa League as Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd are preferred in the Premier League.
But with reports emerging on Thursday [90Min, 12 October] that Zouma is being targeted by clubs in the Saudi Pro League for a potential transfer, David Moyes may already have the perfect replacement for the Frenchman in his side.
Across his two Europa League stars this year, the 25-year-old has been excellent both in defence and on the ball as the Hammers have maintained their unbeaten start to the European campaign. Mavropanos is yet to be dribbled past and has averaged more than four ball recoveries a match [Sofascore].
On the ball, he has completed an outstanding 90 per cent of his attempted passes, with the Greek international only misplacing five per cent of his efforts inside his own half. In attack Mavropanos is another Irons player who thrives off of Ward-Prowse’s set-piece delivery, averaging two shots a game.
While some will question the quality of opposition in the Europa League and the small sample size of matches, the former Stuttgart defender has been equally as impressive in the Bundesliga over the last year, placing in the 99th percentile of defenders in Europe’s big five leagues for interceptions per 90 minutes [Fbref].
In the air similar is true, with West Ham winning an average of 3.52 aerial duels a match, placing him in the top five per cent of his positional peers, while in attack he places in the 99th percentile for shots per match when compared to other centre-backs.
Mavropanos is also excellent at advancing play, sitting above the 88th percentile for progressive carries, passes and successful take-ons over the last year. Moyes has a genuinely exciting defender currently sitting on his bench.
There will be a reluctance to lose Zouma to the riches of the Saudi Pro League and in an ideal world Moyes would rotate the three of Mavropanos, Zouma and Aguerd regularly. But should the Hammers captain depart the London Stadium, there is a more than capable option currently on the bench.
In other West Ham news, Ward-Prowse has topped West Ham Zone’s player ratings for the season so far