Reported West Ham hunt for Serie A stalwart a dream pursuit
West Ham United have had problems at the centre of their defence all season long. The solidity of the first half of last season is a mere memory at this point.
Issa Diop may well develop into the monster of a centre half Jose Mourinho once described him as, but he’s not there just yet.
Fabian Balbuena has been inconsistent over the past 12 months, while there’s simply no relying on Winston Reid’s fitness at the moment. That leaves only 31-year-old Angelo Ogbonna.
The Italian international has arguably been the Hammers’ best player this season, but he’s certainly no long-term answer at the position.
It makes sense, then, that Italian journalist Nicolo Schira reported on his personal Twitter account last week that the east London outfit were planning to watch Sampdoria centre back Omar Colley in action against AC Milan on Monday night.
If the Irons were indeed in attendance at the San Siro then they would have left very impressed by what the Gambian offered up.
The 27-year-old helped hold Milan scoreless in a bore draw, outlining his defensive credentials in the process.
In fact, he made one tackle, three interceptions, eight clearances and a block, while he knocked 12 long balls forward and secured a WhoScored rating of 7.27.
Those numbers are fairly consistent across the season, where Colley averages 1.3 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 5.4 clearances and 0.6 blocks per game, with an average WhoScored rating of 6.72.
He’s not perfect, there’s no doubt about that, but the Sampdoria stalwart would appear to be a big upgrade on what David Moyes has at the centre of his defence at the moment.
In other West Ham news, a reliable source has claimed that a young Hammers winger could leave the club on loan on Tuesday.