Tim Steidten hit the jackpot with what he did at West Ham last summer
Aaron Wan-Bissaka joined West Ham in the summer and it may go down as one of the best pieces of business the club has conducted in years.
West Ham secured another crucial three points on Thursday evening with a 1-0 win against Southampton, courtesy of a Jarrod Bowen goal although it was Wan-Bissaka who earned the spotlight.
The 27-year-old was magnificent against the Saints (26 December), carrying his impressive form from the Brighton encounter into the clash at St Mary’s.
While it’s often attacking players that often get the most credit, the impact he has had for the Irons is unmatched and Steidten deserves a remarkable amount of credit for acquiring his signature in the summer.
Wan-Bissaka has been a game changer for West Ham
Its important to acknowledge that this wasn’t his only impressive performance, in fact, he has been a standout performer for several weeks but his impact against Southampton gave the hosts no chance of achieving a result.
According to FotMob, his performance starts with a respectable 81 per cent pass accuracy from 42 attempted passes, with three chances created from an xA (expected assists) of 0.21.
His impact going forward has never been his main attribute although that has been impressive in recent weeks, having notched twice for the Hammers in 17 appearances.
With a 100 per cent dribble success rate, the 27-year-old completed three dribbles in the clash and played a crucial role in driving West Ham forward.
However, his biggest strength has always been in defending and his stats from the encounter are simply mind-blowing.
Wan-Bissaka won 100 per cent of his tackles while being dribbled past on zero occasions. Southampton never looked like creating anything through that side of the pitch.
He also won all seven of his defensive ground duels and didn’t commit a single foul in the entire game and he was comfortably the best player on the pitch.
West Ham sit 13th in the table, which doesn’t look great although just six points separate them from fifth and if results can be maintained, they have every chance of acheicing some form of success this season.
In order to do that. Wan-Bissaka’s involvement will be paramount and if he can replicate these types of performances, the Irons have one of the best full-backs in the country.
In other West Ham news, an ex-PGMOL chief reacted to the controversy in the Irons’ win over Southampton.
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