West Ham United make contract offer to Joel Matip
West Ham United have offered Joel Matip a two-year contract ahead of his potential move to the London Stadium, according to Caught Offside.
The news outlet reported on 5 September that despite the Hammers holding long-term interest in the defender, Matip hasn’t yet made his mind up about his future.
Caught Offside also add that the Hammers are set to face significant Premier League competition for the former Liverpool man with Fulham, Bournemouth and Leicester all registering an interest in the defender.
Joel Matip would be a stellar transfer for West Ham United
After shipping out the likes of Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd this summer, it’s clear that West Ham could do with some depth at centre-back.
At the time of writing, the club has three senior centre-backs available in Jean Clair-Todibo, Max Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos.
The likes of Aaron Cresswell can also be deployed as a centre-back if needed but the defender usually plays better in a back three which isn’t the tactical choice Julen Lopetegui has made for the Hammers.
So, their need for another natural centre-back is fairly high, especially if they wish to compete for the European places by the end of the season.
The former Liverpool man has, however, had quite a shakey history with injuries with his most severe coming last season.
However, his experience is unmatched and compared to the other option on the table in John Egan [ExWHUemployee, 5 September], the 2019 Champions League winner seems like the sensible choice and more than worthy of a “punt” [talkSPORT, 4 September].
In other West Ham news, an injury update has been provided on Lewis Orford.
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