West Ham United given hope of Jonathan Tah transfer amid new revelation
West Ham United have been given fresh hope of signing Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah and could make a move for the German at the end of the season.
The 28-year-old has confirmed his intentions to leave the Bundesliga champions upon the expiry of his contract in June 2025 and will be free to negotiate a free transfer from January [Daily Mail, 7 September].
West Ham retained a long-standing interest in the defender and sent representatives to keep tabs on his progress [HITC] in Leverkusen’s invincible Bundesliga campaign last term.
West Ham should make a move for Jonathan Tah in January
Julen Lopetegui finds himself short of the number of centre-backs he would like at West Ham despite an influx of 10 players in East London this summer.
Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo were among those to arrive at the Hammers and stand as the only senior options in central defence alongside Konstantinos Mavropanos following the departures of Thilo Kehrer, Angelo Ogbonna, Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma.
Tim Steidten perhaps spent too much time strengthening the forward line. Allowing four defenders to leave, with only two arriving, is a massive oversight for the Hammers chief.
He has tried to rectify his error in the free agent market but acted too late as priority target Mats Hummels completed a move to AS Roma.
With no European football to contend with this year, the Irons should be able to reach January without any major issues at centre-back.
However, the club must move for Tah and look to secure the defender early doors with plenty of top European interest in his signature.
Bayern Munich chased the defender all summer and will certainly return in the winter transfer window. West Ham will therefore need to go toe-to-toe with the German giants, but they boast a significantly stronger squad since the summer and have the allure of Premier League football.
Tah has already achieved the maximum in Germany with an invincible Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal winning season.
Steidten needs to sit down with Tah before January and pitch to him that there is no use remaining in his homeland after his achievements and his future instead awaits in the Premier League.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers must change the starting XI after Michail Antonio flops for Jamaica.
For more West Ham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.