West Ham want to sign Stoke City defender Harry Souttar
West Ham are keen on signing Stoke City’s towering centre-back Harry Souttar, according to ExWHUemployee.
The reliable Hammers insider, on the recent episode of the West Ham Way podcast, said that the 23-year-old Australia international is one of many players the club are tracking.
Having not signed a centre-back in the January window, David Moyes wants to rope in at least one in the summer.
Speaking about players the Hammers are looking at, Ex said, “There is an Australian centre-back at Stoke who is called Harry Souttar. I think he’s 6’6″. Started his career in Scotland, but has been really impressive at Stoke.”
Worth it?
Moyes does love a tall centre-back and in Souttar he would probably get one of the tallest in the entire Premier League.
Set pieces are a key aspect of his blueprint at clubs, although he has prioritised playing out from the back as well, over the last few seasons.
That said, Souttar may appear menacing, but that does not mean that he isn’t good technically.
A detailed breakdown of the 23-year-old’s game can be found on the Total Football Analysis website.
In that, they not only illustrate how good he is in the air, but also how his positioning is impressive.
Add to that, the cherry on the cake is his passing ability, which is an underappreciated aspect of the Australian’s game.
It’s written that: “The Australian centre-back isn’t just a formidable force in the air, he also poses a significant threat to the opposition on the ball. This makes Souttar an excellent asset for his side during early possession phases.”
By the looks of it, Souttar seems tailormade to take that step up in his career and it remains to be seen if the Hammers pursue his services wholeheartedly.
In other West Ham news, ExWHUemployee claims that an ‘Unbelievable’ Hammers player could be out for the rest of the season
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