West Ham United want to sign Arnau Martinez, Julen Lopetegui is convinced
West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Girona defender Arnau Martinez with manager Julen Lopetegui convinced of his signing, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The Spanish newspaper reported in its print edition (8 August, page 32) that the 21-year-old, who is out of contract in 2025, is on the radar of the Hammers boss.
According to Mundo, West Ham have already made contact with the right-back’s representatives over a deal as they look to strengthen the right side of their defence.
West Ham aims to sort defensive issues
Outside of the bottom three, nobody conceded more goals than West Ham in last season’s Premier League. When Lopetegui first came on board, that was clearly one of the problem areas he needed to fix. He’s certainly started to do that, beginning with the introduction of Max Kilman from Wolves.
When it comes to Martinez, they could make huge waves with a signing like this. For Girona last season he was in the 99th percentile for completed passes, 80th percentile for progressive passes and 86th for clearances. In addition, he also grabbed two assists in 21 appearances (FBref).
He did pick up a couple of yellow cards but once he settles into the rhythm of English football, Lopetegui should be able to get him under control. Either way, at the age of just 21, he’s the kind of player you want around.
Yes, there are bigger names that can be signed, but this shows the manager has one eye on the future.
Of course, there is also the school of thought that links to the likes of Martinez are a mere smokescreen as they struggle to complete a deal to sign Manchester United full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but this will be an interesting one to monitor in the coming weeks.
In other West Ham news, the Irons remain interested in a Ligue 1 striker who is edging closer to a brand new transfer.
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