Michael Keane could be emergency transfer for West Ham United in January
West Ham United could explore an “emergency” deal for Everton defender Michael Keane if Craig Dawson were to leave the London Stadium in January, according to The Athletic.
The Hammers are looking to bolster their ranks in the upcoming winter window after a poor start to the season, which sees them sit just a point above the Premier League drop zone.
And according to journalist Roshane Thomas, Everton centre-back Keane has arisen as a potential option due to his availability, experience and thirst for first-team football.
The report said: “West Ham were linked with Everton defender Michael Keane in the summer. The 29-year-old has only played one league game this season and is behind James Tarkowski and Conor Coady in the pecking order.
“A loan option for Keane could be explored if Craig Dawson leaves in January for family reasons.”
Not needed
It is hard to see many positives about this potential transfer.
After flourishing at Goodison Park initially, Keane has slowly fallen further and further down the pecking order and is no longer trusted by Toffees manager Frank Lampard, who signed both Coady and Tarkowski as first-team replacements in the summer.
His error-strewn performances on Merseyside have also seen him drop out of the England national team, and he was not even in the frame for making Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad for Qatar.
It is not only the Englishman’s worrying form but also West Ham’s bloated defensive stocks that suggest that this transfer would be a waste of time.
Even if Dawson were to leave the club in the New Year for personal reasons, David Moyes could still call upon Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna, Nayef Aguerd and Thilo Kehrer as alternative centre-back options.
The Hammers should focus on snapping up a right-back as a replacement for the exit-bound Vladimir Coufal instead of Keane in January.