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West Ham’s summer recruitment has been praised as they consider a January transfer swoop for Koln defender Rav van den Berg.
It was always going to be a hectic window for the Hammers following their relegation from the Premier League, and that proved to be the case, even if the headline deals were outgoings, with the Londoners fetching huge sums for Mateus Fernandes, Crysensio Summerville and El Hadji Malick Diouf.
West Ham's Summer Signings (Source: Transfermarkt)
Player
Arne Engels
Edvin Austbo
Manor Solomon
Adama Boiro
Morato
Joel Veltman
Joel Piroe
Divine Mukasa
Those high-profile sales did allow West Ham to do a lot of business, with Manor Solomon, Joel Piroe and Arne Engels among the new faces.
West Ham’s summer signings have made an instant impact
Pleasingly for the Irons, the new signings have settled quickly, with Nuno Espírito Santo’s side currently second in the Championship, and they’ve lost just one of their opening eight games.
Solomon and Piroe have played their part in helping West Ham have the outstanding attack in the division, with Nuno’s side currently the top scorers in the league, having found the net 22 times, which is three more than anyone else.
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As well as that, Engels has impressed as an all-action midfielder since his record move from Celtic, whilst Divine Mukasa is another who has shown his class, and Joel Veltman’s experience has been much-needed at the back.
West Ham backed to sign Rav van den Berg to improve their defence
Yet, even though it’s early days, one area of concern for Nuno will be West Ham’s defence, as they have shipped 11 goals in eight games, and that vulnerability was on show in the draw against Millwall last time out.
Therefore, it could be an area the Hammers look to address in January, and it has been claimed that van den Berg is a target.
West Ham, Cardiff City
West Ham, Cardiff City
The 23-year-old has played in the Championship with Middlesbrough, so he should be able to adapt quickly, and he could be available after falling out of favour at Koln.
So, when asked by FLW about whether this is a deal that the club should look to make happen, West Ham fan pundit Ryan Horn explained why he has full faith in those making the decisions on recruitment, as he suggested a new defender should be a priority.
“I would welcome the signing. I think he is an improvement on Max Kilman, definitely, and we have a lot of youth in the team at the moment, so we need a bit more quality.
“We leaked goals when we were in the Premier League, and we’re leaking goals in the Championship, so we need to make sure we don’t come down again at the end of next season.
Rav van den Berg of Middlesbrough
“I think our recruitment has been decent this summer. It’s not like before when agents were throwing players at us, and it feels like we’ve now got a strategy.
“I wasn’t too big a fan of signing Manor Solomon, but he has been brilliant. Joel Piroe has been good. Arne Engels, oh my god! Joel Veltman has been quality.
“We’ve just had a very decent window, so anyone we do bring in, I’ll have a bit more excitement for because we’ve got a plan now. So I would welcome van den Berg, as if that’s what they want to go for, I’ll back it.”
Rav van den Berg and West Ham could be the perfect match in January window
West Ham’s transfer business was a major problem in the past, and it was a massive reason as to why they were relegated.
Therefore, it needed to be addressed, and, so far, it looks as though they’ve done that in the summer, as they brought in a good blend of players.
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Despite that, there will be some doubts over the strength in depth of Nuno’s squad, so a few more additions in January would help beef up the group.
So, van den Berg would help, and it could be just what he needs as well, as his time at Koln hasn’t gone to plan, and he is now struggling to get near the first XI.
But, the Dutchman proved with Middlesbrough that he had a lot of talent, and he is capable on the ball, as well as being a good all-round defender, so he could fit in well with the Hammers if they can make a transfer happen in January.