West Ham: “Complete” 18 y/o could displace Coufal
A glorious Spanish talent could be on the way to the London Stadium…
West Ham United are in the race to sign one of Spain’s most gifted and promising youngsters…
What’s the latest West Ham transfer news?
According to Marca Valladolid, the Irons are in a fight to sign Real Valladolid’s Ivan Fresneda, after Crystal Palace opened talks with the Spanish club with a view to making an offer
Chelsea and Sporting CP are also said to be interested in the right-back.
As previously reported by SPORT, the 18-year-old is valued at around €15m (£13m) by Valladolid, who recently suffered relegation to La Liga 2.
Would Ivan Fresneda be a good signing for West Ham?
The defender was born in the Spanish capital, and joined Real Madrid’s youth setup in 2014, before leaving the club in 2018. He eventually signed for Valladolid in 2020, and despite only forging 26 appearances for the senior side, has firmly established himself as one of the continent’s most eye-catching talents.
This perspective has been reinforced by Matt Clark of the LaLiga Lowdown, who highlighted Fresneda’s accomplished profile and limitless potential, saying: “He is a remarkably complete right-back despite his young age, balancing his defensive duties with the odd attack too.
“He has that coveted combination of physicality and technical ability. Tall but agile, quick and athletic, he is also strong in the tackle and reads the game very well for someone so green when it comes to first-team football.”
The teen’s defensive acumen is mirrored by his rank within the best 9% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for blocks per 90 and clearances per 90, as well as the highest 21% for tackles per 90.
Moreover, The Athletic revealed he is a high-quality ball winner, winning 75% of his duels, with only one LaLiga full-back, his teammate Luis Perez, possessing a better success rate.
Following the end of last year, Fresneda was just one of seven players aged 17 or younger to play over 1,000 minutes of first-team football in Europe’s big five leagues, to signify his growing quality and importance to his team.
Therefore, a player on this trajectory is more than capable of becoming a useful asset for a Premier League side. From a West Ham perspective, Fresneda can be viewed as an ageing and less dynamic Vladimir Coufal.
The 31-year-old has been a solid and reliable servant for the Hammers, having featured in 91 of the club’s last 116 domestic games.
His lack of pace, directness, and attacking threat are major drawbacks to his game, and he fails to embody the full nature of the ‘modern full-back.’
Fresneda, who played for a far worse side last year, demonstrated that he can outperform Coufal in this respect. Over the past 365 days, the prodigy scores better than the Czech for progressive carries per 90 (2.48 vs 2.37), successful take-ons per 90 (0.77 vs 0.13), and pass completion per 90 (77% vs 62.2%).
Whilst his offensive output isn’t prolific, as he failed to record any assists last term, this is mainly due to the lack of quality in Valladolid forwards, who managed just 33 goals in the league, the second-lowest in the division.
Therefore, Fresneda, who has been hailed as someone with “good technique” and “great energy” by Emmanuel Petit, could flourish at the London Stadium.
West Ham: Moyes eyeing “dream” £40m partner for Paqueta
West Ham are looking to bolster their attacking options…
West Ham United are facing fierce competition from Fulham in the race to sign a Premier League striker before deadline day…
What’s the latest West Ham transfer news?
The Irons and the Cottagers are in the market for a new frontman, having lost Gianluca Scamacca and Aleksandar Mitrovic this summer, and both clubs have identified Dominic Solanke as a possible option.
According to Football Insider, West Ham have submitted an offer believed to be around £40m as they look to reinforce their attacking options.
However, the report also said Fulham have a ‘concrete’ interest in Solanke, but the west Londoners are reluctant to match their city rival’s bid and are only willing to table around £30m.
This puts David Moyes’ side in pole position, but a deal is far from finished as AFC Bournemouth are yet to accept any proposals.
Would Dominic Solanke be a good signing for West Ham?
Solanke’s decision to join the Cherries in 2019 has worked out beautifully, as he has evolved from being a sporadic second-tier scorer into a consistent top-flight threat.
In the 2021/22 season, the forward was an indispensable component of the Scott Parker side which clinched promotion back to the Premier League – he started every Championship game and was the division’s second-highest scorer with 29 goals.
As is the case with any free-scoring Championship striker, there is always an overhanging question mark of whether they will be effective in the top flight.
But, Solanke has demonstrated that he is a useful, dogged, and effervescent attacking force in the Premier League.
Last term, he netted six times and crafted seven assists, often tasked with dropping deep to link play and lead an aggressive press.
His former manager Gary O’Neil recognised the £50k-per-week dynamo’s invaluable contribution to the team and said:
“Dom works his socks off for me. People that maybe don’t know, could underestimate how big Dom is for this group. Absolutely massive. I couldn’t ask for a better number nine to go and face the challenges that we’re faced with.”
The 40-year-old has extended his praise, hailing Solanke as a “dream as a centre-forward.”
A workhorse frontman of this impressive profile could forge a devastating partnership with Lucas Paqueta, who now looks set to stay in the English capital.
The Brazilian is currently being investigated by the FA for potential betting breaches, casting serious doubt over his proposed transfer to Manchester City. It was understood that the reigning European champions were close to reaching an agreement with the playmaker before the allegations surfaced.
Nevertheless, Paqueta hasn’t let this disruption affect his West Ham form, and he was a pivotal part of a 3-1 victory over Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.
The technician’s trickery and energy were a constant nuisance for Mauricio Pochettino’s men, and he rounded off the game with an injury-time penalty.
Similarly to Solanke, the 5 foot 11 artist has amassed a formidable reputation for his athleticism and work rate. This is mirrored by his rank within the top 5% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for tackles, blocks, clearances, and aerials won per 90.
The possibility of these attackers lining up together is a mouth-watering prospect and is an avenue that the West Ham hierarchy should continue exploring.
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