Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Sun 19 April 2026 14:40, UK

Bobby Thomas could be an option for West Ham United if Konstantinos Mavropanos is sold.

The Greek defender has been linked with a move away this summer, and while the Hammers would like to ideally keep him, they will need to prepare for life without him just in case.

In the January window, the Irons added Thomas to their shortlist of centre-back options before eventually settling on a loan move for Axel Disasi.

However, with Mavropanos’ future in question, they may need to return to the market for that position.

Questions will be asked of Thomas’ ability to step up to the Premier League level, but a West Ham transfer for the defender also provides an added bonus – a trait not often found in centre-backs.

How does Bobby Thomas compare to West Ham’s Konstantinos Mavropanos?

Thomas is a right-sided centre-back, a position that Mavropanos typically takes up for West Ham.

However, with the Greek defender’s future up in the air, and Thomas being a potential Mavropanos replacement, how does he truly compare to the 28-year-old?

In truth, the Englishman actually shapes up quite similarly to the current Hammers defender across various defensive statistics. However, he does fall short in his duel success.

Thomas wins 60 per cent of his duels compared to Mavropanos’ 67 per cent, although he does tend to win more per game, with 5.5 compared to 4.1, as per Sofascore.

Additionally, he is not too dissimilar in terms of clearances, with just 0.4 fewer per game than the Greek’s 6.2 and also holds the same number of blocked shots per game.

One area Thomas does hold over Mavropanos is in the creating department. At centre-back, the English defender has accumulated 3.35 expected assists with four assists in total.

Furthermore, among natural centre-backs in the Championship, Thomas has produced more key passes than anyone else.

Overall, the Hammers would be signing a similar player who also provides an added and unique weapon that Mavropanos does not hold.

Central defenders with an eye for a pass to goal is not often found on the market.

Thomas price is likely to have increased after Coventry promotion

After the Sky Blues confirmed promotion, the asking price of Thomas is likely to have soared.

Frank Lampard will not want to lose one of his key players on the cheap as Coventry prepare for top-flight football.

According to Transfermarket, since the start of the season, Thomas’ value has increased from £2.6million up to £12.1m throughout this season.

Of course, a move to West Ham may depend on if the Irons stay in the Premier League, or else remaining at Coventry would be more attractive with top flight football guaranteed.