The £20m transfer battle that could see West Ham or Brentford land one of Europe’s brightest talentsplaceholder image
The £20m transfer battle that could see West Ham or Brentford land one of Europe’s brightest talents | Getty Images
West Ham & Brentford have been linked with an exciting young defender - but can they beat Juventus to a January transfer?
According to reports this week, both West Ham United and Brentford have already opened negotiations ahead a potential January transfer deal which could land them one of Europe’s brightest prospects – if they can get in ahead of Juventus.
The i Paper claims that the two London teams have “made contact” with Lecce over a deal for £20m-rated centre-back Tiago Gabriel, a Portuguese Under-21 international whose performances in Serie A are starting to attract considerable attention. But would he be a difference-maker for either side, and what chance do they have of landing the youngster this winter?
Why West Ham & Brentford are chasing Tiago Gabriel
Stood at 6’4” tall, the 20-year-old Gabriel cuts an imposing figure and is just as dominant in the air and physical in one-on-one situations as you would expect – but it’s perhaps the Portuguese youngster’s positional maturity which makes him stand out most of all.
Gabriel spent time in Sporting’s youth academy but made his name with Estrela da Amadora, earning a regular starting spot there before moving to Lecce in January in a deal which set the Italian side back no more than €1.5m (£1.3m), depending on which reports you believe. The precise fee is unclear, but it’s become obvious that Lecce got a bargain.
Although used sparingly in his first season in Italy, the towering defender has become a regular since the summer and has consistently impressed since. His body of work is small, but his quality has been evident.
An apt comparison might be with Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite – not only does he have impressive physical attributes and the skill to use them effectively, but he has the knack of being in the right place at the right time to intercept passes and make clearances, and the statistics behind his work are very impressive. Defensive contributions of every kind come in volume.
Like Branthwaite, he’s also developing rapidly in the passing game, capable of getting the ball downfield quickly and accurately – while he isn’t a traditional ball-playing defender in the sense that he rarely opts to carry the ball out from the back himself, he has the ability to spark attacks quickly thanks to his distribution.
For West Ham, whose defence needs strengthening after disappointing returns from Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo, Gabriel represents a relatively affordable option to improve a leaky back four – and for Brentford, a team always on the hunt for young talent, he could be a long-term replacement for the much sought-after Nathan Collins, who has been linked with a number of rival Premier League clubs. But will either team get there ahead of Juventus this January?
Will Gabriel come to the Premier League this winter?
Juventus’ interest is likely to be the biggest barrier to a deal for either West Ham or Brentford. The Old Lady may not be quite the dominant force in Italian football that she once was, but the Turin club’s name still carries considerable clout.
Juventus are looking for defensive depth with injuries and inconsistency an issue for them, and a slightly worrying financial outlook means that more expensive transfer may be off the table – the club are steadily losing money every year and want to avoid major outlays in order to have the funds to retain key talents such as Kenan Yildiz and Khéphren Thuram.
Gabriel, therefore, ticks a lot of boxes for them, although it’s possible that they will need to be sure that they can make sell some of their less important players to keep the books balanced before they make a bid. That could give West Ham or Brentford a window of opportunity to strike a deal, especially if Gabriel believes he has a clearer path to regular starts there.
The player’s own thoughts on whether he would like to move – or where to – are not known, although he would be in for a considerable increase in his salary were he to agree to a transfer. Lecce, a selling club themselves, are unlikely to be able to resist a substantial offer for any length of time.
It’s still not clear that they will sell Gabriel in January, especially given that they are, at the time of writing, just three points clear of the Serie A relegation zone. They may well wish to hang on to one of their best performers of the season so far to help them stave off the threat of the drop.
This won’t necessarily be an easy deal for either West Ham or Brentford to get over the line – but it’s one that would make a lot of sense for both sides if they can make it happen, and negotiations appear to be underway. The winner of this three-way tug of war may well be left feeling rather smug before too long.
Continue Reading