West Ham want to sign Mykola Matvienko from Shakhtar Donetsk – report
West Ham are keen on signing Ukraine international defender Mykola Matviyenko from Shakhtar Donetsk this summer, according to 90min.
The left-back has been linked with an exit from Shakhtar this summer following the war on Ukraine, which saw the domestic season curtailed early for safety reasons.
In a new report by 90min, it’s been shared that Premier League club Brentford have opened talks over a potential move for the 25-year-old.
However it’s also mentioned that West Ham, Everton and Southampton have all kept a close eye on the defender over the last year.
Arthur Masuaku is expected to leave the London Stadium this summer after failing to impress David Moyes, so Matviyenko would provide a good alternative in his position. He is also capable of playing at centre-back.
Shrewd
Moyes has always been good at discovering gems in the transfer market and making unknown players into household names in the Premier League.
For someone who is only 25-years-old, Matviyenko is someone who has got tonnes of experience having played for the national team since 2017 and amassing almost a half century of caps.
He’s also won two league titles and four Ukrainian cups during his career to date, which shows he is capable of competing at a high level and turning in good performances.
West Ham are looking to add youth to their squad this summer as well as a good level of competition to ensure that no positions are guaranteed, and Matviyenko would tick those boxes.
He’d obviously need time to adapt and would find it difficult to take the first-choice role off Aaron Cresswell immediately, but with the Englishman in his thirties now there is plenty of chance he could make it his own in the future.
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