West Ham reportedly have a real chance of signing Scott McTominay from Manchester United this month and his potential arrival at the London Stadium could see David Moyes finally get rid of Tomas Soucek.
What’s the word?
The Hammers have regularly been linked with the Scotland international in recent weeks, with Moyes clearly keen to bolster his options in midfield, as Soucek and Declan Rice’s partnership has sadly declined after looking so strong not long ago.
In a recent interview with Football FanCast, journalist Dean Jones provided his thoughts on a potential West Ham move for McTominay.
He said: “McTominay is an option they’re targeting. He’s got good experience. The fact he may not be at Manchester United much longer gives them hope that he is actually gettable. I think it’s a real possibility.”
Soucek upgrade
Since breaking into the first team at Old Trafford, McTominay has gone on to make an impressive 194 appearances for United, in which he has contributed 18 goals and five assists.
He certainly doesn’t lack experience in the top flight and was a regular in the first team only last season, although new manager Erik ten Hag has preferred summer signings Casemiro and Christian Eriksen so far this season, which certainly opens the door for McTominay to leave.
The 26-year-old, who earns £60k-per-week at Old Trafford, has made just seven Premier League starts under Ten Hag this season but his stats from FBref suggest that he could be a far better option than Soucek in Moyes’ midfield.
Soucek’s passing in particular has come in for criticism this season, with WhoScored ranking him as the 15th-best passer (in terms of completion rate) in West Ham’s squad so far this term, which is far from good enough for a starting central midfielder.
The above stats, via FBRef, show that McTominay could be a far more assured option in possession for the Hammers, while he also boasts impressive defensive numbers which suggest that he could free up Rice to push forward.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was full of praise for the academy graduate in 2020 after an impressive performance in the derby against Manchester City.
He said: “He’s a physical monster. He does all his work every day. Never shirks anything + he gets his rewards. Technical work is improving too. That energy + drive in a derby like this was important.”
This sounds like exactly the sort of player that Moyes needs in a relegation battle this season and given Soucek was linked away in the summer of 2022, McTominay’s potential arrival this month could see West Ham get rid of the out-of-sorts midfielder for good.
from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/5uWjLP8
via IFTTT