West Ham in pursuit of Brentford midfielder Dasilva ahead of January – report
West Ham are monitoring midfielder Josh Dasilva as they return to Brentford once more in hopes to improve their squad, according to The Guardian.
After signing Said Benrahma in the summer, and retaining an interest in Rico Henry [The Athletic], West Ham are believed to be scouting the Championship side again as they look for options in the middle of midfield.
The Hammers currently employ Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice as their midfield enforcers, but options to make the duo a trio, or to play someone just in front, appear limited, with manager David Moyes recently trying out captain Mark Noble, to no avail.
In his transfer window column for The Guardian, Ed Aarons lists Josh Dasilva as one of eight possible transfers in January, saying: “West Ham are believed to have been keeping tabs on the England Under-21 who also qualifies to play for Angola through his parents and signed a new contract in October.
“After standing firm over their valuations of Ollie Watkins and Saïd Benrahma in the summer, Brentford will not allow Dasilva to leave on the cheap.”
With Brentford currently sitting fourth in the Championship, and looking set to make a push for the automatic promotion spots, it would clearly take a lot for them to consider selling a key man, but the Premier League riches on offer could be too good to refuse if West Ham come calling.
What would Dasilva offer?
With the aforementioned lack of options in the middle of midfield, particularly if either Soucek or Rice get injured or suspended, West Ham would be wise to go after a centre midfielder who can get around the pitch and pass with ease.
With 22-year-old Dasilva, who started his career at Arsenal, they would certainly get the former, as he makes 3.91 progressive runs per 90, per WyScout, ranking him fifth in the division for this metric.
Regarding the latter, his 89.12% (per WyScout) pass completion in the Championship is also impressive, enough to rank him 28th in the league, and it makes him the seventh most accurate midfield passer (of those to play at least 1000 minutes).
These statistics will be music to the ears of West Ham fans as they call out for a replacement to the ageing Noble, whose best years are seemingly well behind him.
Noble was known for his tenacious displays in the heart of midfield, and for his comfort on the ball, so a move for Dasilva would seem to fit the bill if Moyes wants to sign a player of similar ilk, perhaps with a bit more attacking instincts, which would fit well ahead of Soucek and Rice if he preferred to play a three in midfield.
In other West Ham news, McAvennie backs Rice to ignore Chelsea interest and stay with the Hammers until the end of the season.