West Ham must make Nuno Tavares their next signing after latest Arsenal development
West Ham ramped up their transfer business on Tuesday [22 August] with the signing of centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos from Stuttgart, but their spending spree is not over yet.
Mavropanos follows Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse in making the move to London Stadium this summer, the latter two helping to offset the departure of Declan Rice.
With the central-midfield void filled and the heart of defence now strengthened, there are just a couple of areas that need looking at ahead of the window closing in a little over a week’s time.
One of those is already being worked on, with West Ham having had a second bid knocked back for Ajax ace Mohammed Kudus [talkSPORT], while talks are also ongoing for Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri [Fichajes].
According to reporter Alan Nixon, meanwhile, a left-back is the other position David Moyes is eager to improve on before the 11pm deadline on September 1.
That update coincided with news that Arsenal are willing to let Nuno Tavares depart the Emirates Stadium this window [Sky Sports, 22 August], with the defender’s representatives due in London for talks.
Tavares has been regularly linked with the Hammers this summer, and it is a transfer that makes sense from their perspective – as well as the player’s.
Emerson Palmieri has started United’s opening two games of the season at left-back, with only the ageing Aaron Cresswell – who looks certain to be sold if a new player arrives – and the versatile Ben Johnson for cover.
If Moyes is to sign a player in that position, he simply has to be an upgrade on what he already has at his disposal. In Tavares, they have a player who betters Emerson in most key metrics.
The Portuguese scored six times on loan in Ligue 1 with Marseille last season, highlighting exactly the type of player he is, while he averaged 3.64 progressive carries per 90 minutes compared to 2.59 for Emerson [FBRef].
Tavares also came out on top in terms of the passes completed per 90 (40.5 v 38.9), as well as the more defensive metrics such as tackles won per 90 (1.15 v 0.95) and blocks per 90 (1.23 v 1.16).
When you also factor in that he is also six years younger than Emerson, it makes perfect sense for the Hammers to get a deal over the line to make Tavares their fourth summer signing.
In other West Ham news, a United player could reportedly be used as a makeweight in the deal to sign En-Nesyri from Sevilla.