Everything Rav van den Berg can offer Nuno as West Ham eye cut-price January deal
Rav van den Berg is an early January transfer target for West Ham United.
The young centre-back is struggling for minutes in the Bundesliga with FC Koln, and the Hammers could offer him a way out.
He made the move to Germany last year, following in the footsteps of his brother and Brentford star, Sepp van den Berg, in hopes of one day reaching the Premier League.
Van den Berg joined Koln from Middlesbrough in an £11million deal after impressing for the Teessiders for two seasons.
The 22-year-old has emerged as a target for the Irons in the January window, with reports suggesting a cut-price deal is on the cards.
Nuno Espirito Santo has found his favoured centre-back pairing with Konstantinos Mavropanos and Max Kilman, so why would he want van den Berg?
What Rav van den Berg would offer West Ham
West Ham were keen on van den Berg in the summer, with Koln demanding a fee as high as £17m.
They would not take anything lower than the £11m they spent to buy him from Boro, however, things may have changed.
The Bundesliga side have been frustrated that the Dutchman has failed to make a first-team impact, with club officials now open to his sale in the winter.
Van den Berg won Players' Player and Fans' Player of the Year for Middlesbrough in the 2023-24 campaign, which was his debut season in England at 20 years of age.
He was hailed by Michael Carrick for having a great attitude, turning down the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Roma and other European giants to focus on development.
His natural position is a right centre-back, though he can also play wide of a back three, a system which Nuno may wish to deploy at some stage this season.
The former PEC Zwolle star can also play at right-back, initially playing his first few games as a full-back under Carrick at Boro.
Nuno may want to be able to use a back five formation, but is most likely against the idea due to the lack of centre-back options that he has.
While a three centre-back formation of Morato, Mavropanos and Kilman would be the best defence in the league, it would also risk the chances of one of them getting injured.
The problem Nuno would have if this happened, is that all three are the only senior and natural centre-backs at the club.
Why West Ham are keen on defensive recruits in January
It's became clear that defence is the weakest point in West Ham's team.
They are winning the midfield battle in most games, and have scored more goals than any other team in the Championship.
However, Nuno's side have already leaked 11 goals in eight games, as the likes of Swansea, Wolves, West Brom, QPR and more conceded fewer.
Compare this with Nuno's Wolves side that won the Championship in 2018 with 99 points, they only conceded 39 times in 46 games, less than a goal a game.
Nuno has a recipe for success in the Championship, and he may want to lean off it at some stage, which makes the likes of van den Berg a crucial winter target.