WHZ View: Harry Souttar could be the solution to ageing West Ham backline
West Ham are reportedly one of three Premier League clubs in the hunt for highly-rated Stoke City defender Harry Souttar.
The 22-year-old centre half has featured 32 times for the Potters in the Championship this season. He’s scored once and assisted three for Stoke, who find themselves sat 11th in the second-tier standings.
According to The Express, Souttar is being eyed by the Hammers, Crystal Palace and Wolves ahead of a potential summer move.
The 6ft 6in defender has also begun playing international football. Despite being born in Aberdeen in Scotland, Souttar qualifies for Australia and has scored twice in four appearances for the Socceroos.
Building for the future?
With the potential exit of Fabian Balbuena this summer [Claret & Hugh], the reports of a defensive transfer link are encouraging. As it stands, only one of our regular starting defenders is under the age of 25, Issa Diop.
Angelo Ogbonna, Craig Dawson and Aaron Cresswell, who’ve all been used as centre-halves this season, are on the wrong side of 30. They’ve been playing well this campaign, so it isn’t an immediate issue, but it’s good to hear Moyes is keeping this in his mind.
Going forward, it appears that Souttar could be the solution in the long run. The huge defender would no doubt be a threat from set plays – a big plus for Moyes’ philosophy.
His four goal involvements this season rank him higher than Ogbonna and Diop combined, and level with Dawson.
Souttar has been solid for Stoke this year. In his 32 league matches, the Potters have kept 14 clean sheets. He’s won 68% of his defensive duels and 69.9% of those in the air [WyScout].
As well as being solid in his challenges, Souttar reads the game well. He’s averaging 6.86 interceptions and 13.95 possession recoveries per 90 minutes. No wonder he’s been selected to play international football.
The towering defender appears to be good on the ball too. He’s completed 81.3% of his passes successfully and 84.2% of his dribbles, a remarkable stat for a centreback.
Souttar is very well disciplined. He’s picked up just two yellow cards in the fast-paced and intense Championship. It could turn out to be an excellent move, he would learn a lot from Ogbonna and Dawson who are more experienced.
A younger partnership with Diop further down the line could be excellent for the future of the club. We trust Moyes’ instincts, should we get Souttar, it could be another good signing from the boss.
In other West Ham news, Declan Rice put in another world-class performance for England in the win over Albania.