West Ham United have been struggling to find a first-choice centre-back for quite some time.
Indeed, over the past few years, the Hammers have gone all around the houses in search for a defensive star.
The east London club have gone after the likes of Harry Maguire, while they’ve struggled using the likes of Thilo Kehrer, Nayef Aguerd and Issa Diop under David Moyes.
However, now, with Julen Lopetegui at the helm, the Hammers will have a new defensive approach, and they have their eyes on a new defensive target for their new manager.
West Ham want Odilon Kossounou
According to The Athletic, West Ham are interested in signing Odilon Kossounou this summer.
This isn’t a surprising update.
The Hammers were linked with a move for Kossounou last summer, and the centre-back is clearly a player Tim Steidten is a fan of.
Indeed, Steidten will know Kossounou well from his time at Bayer Leverkusen, and now, for the second summer running, he’s looking to sign the Bundesliga star.
Kossounou could be exciting for West Ham
Kossounou could be an exciting addition to this West Ham side.
Indeed, the defender would provide something the Hammers haven’t had for a while – mobility at the back.
From Kurt Zouma to Angelo Ogbonna to Konstantinos Mavropanos, West Ham, under David Moyes, have often had old-school centre-backs who lack any sort of pace.
However, Kossounou isn’t cut from that cloth.
The Leverkusen ace is one of the quickest defenders in Europe. In fact, according to The Speeds Database, Kossounou is even quicker than Mohammed Kudus as a player.
Fast centre-back options should allow West Ham to play with a higher line. Hopefully, ringing in a more exciting style of play under their new manager and allowing their flair players to shine and the goals to flow.
Kossounou would be an interesting signing for West Ham as he could represent a change in direction for the Hammers in terms of their defensive style under their new manager.