West Ham United ready to splash cash in bid to sign Dan-Axel Zagadou
West Ham United are prepared to splash the cash in order to sign free agent defender Dan-Axel Zagadou, according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport.
David Moyes is keen to sign a centre-half having been forced to play Ben Johnson out of position against Manchester City and Erling Haaland on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.
Nayef Aguerd was due to be that saviour but he picked up an injury prior to the new campaign and Moyes is therefore looking at Zagadou as a player he could bring in at short notice.
Jose Mourinho’s Roma are also interested with the lack of a transfer fee attracting both clubs to the prospect but Gazzetta claim that West Ham are “ready to put many pounds on the table” to sign the French Under-21 international.
The 23-year-old previously spent five seasons at Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga but opted not to renew his contract at the end of the 2021-22 season and he is still without a club to this day.
Massive
There is no questioning that Zagadou would be much preferred to Johnson as a central defender at West Ham but it isn’t just the stability at the back that will entice Moyes and his recruitment team.
The Ivorian-born ace stands at a whopping six-foot, five-inches tall and therefore offers a mammoth target to aim for from set-pieces.
But that only adds to the already giant West Ham side with Gianluca Scamacca the same height as Zagadou as well as Tomas Soucek, Craig Dawson, Kurt Zouma and Michail Antonio all aerial threats.
It would take a change to a back three to get every single one of those players into the side at the same time which is highly unlikely but with the delivery of Aaron Cresswell and Jarrod Bowen to rely on, chances will come thick and fast from a dead ball.
West Ham could be about to become the most dangerous team in the Premier League and not many sides will be able to handle it.