West Ham set sights on €20m-rated defender/Newcastle also keen
Last Updated: January 18, 2022 9:15 am
Word stemming from the English media on Monday evening suggests that West Ham United are expressing a keen interest in Fenerbahce stopper Attila Szalai.
Ogbonna out long term
The need for defensive reinforcements has of course emerged as something of a pressing matter at the London Stadium over recent weeks.
This comes with David Moyes’ high-flying Hammers having been dealt an altogether untimely pair of blows on the personnel front.
First, late in November, Angelo Ogbonna was forced under the knife owing to a knee injury picked up in a 3-2 win over Liverpool, ruling the Italian out for the remainder of the campaign.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 09: Angelo Ogbonna of West Ham United holds his ankle after Anthony Martial of Manchester United collides with it during The Emirates FA Cup Fifth Round match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford on February 9, 2021 in Manchester, England (Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Then, just weeks later, the Irons’ concerns were added to further, when Kurt Zouma was too forced onto the treatment table, on the back of a hamstring issue picked up during a derby clash with Chelsea.
Szalai eyed
With both stoppers still sidelined, it has therefore come as little surprise to see speculation begin to mount in the media of late that the transfer team at the London Stadium have set their sights firmly on defensive reinforcements this month.
A whole host of defenders have been tipped to make the move to east London, with Liverpool’s Nat Phillips previously viewed as the front-runner to link up with David Moyes’ squad.
BLACKBURN, ENGLAND – JULY 19: Nat Phillips of Liverpool at Ewood Park on July 19, 2018 in Blackburn, England. (Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)
But, as alluded to above, on Monday, a new name has entered the fray.
The player in question? Attila Szalai.
As per a report from Sky Sports News, West Ham are expressing a keen interest in bringing highly-regarded Hungarian international Szalai to the English capital.
The 23-year-old, who shone for his country at last summer’s European Championships, is currently plying his trade in Turkey with Super Lig giants Fenerbahce.
The Irons’ board, though, will need to move decisively if they hope to strike a deal for Szalai, understood to boast a price-tag of around 20 million euro (£17 million), with both Premier League rivals Newcastle and Italian heavyweights AC Milan also keen on the defender.
#WHUFC and #NUFC are showing interest in Fenerbahce’s Hungary defender Attila Szalai.
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 17, 2022
Read more:
The latest on Tomas Soucek’s availability for West Ham’s meeting with Manchester United
Update provided on Newcastle’s swoop for Sevilla star Diego Carlos
This article was edited by Ben Browning.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 36 | 72 | 89 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 36 | 65 | 86 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 36 | 42 | 70 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 37 | 24 | 68 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 36 | 11 | 66 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 37 | 1 | 58 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 36 | 11 | 55 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 36 | -3 | 50 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 36 | -4 | 47 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 35 | -4 | 45 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 35 | 4 | 44 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 35 | -1 | 43 |
| 13 | Brentford FC | 36 | -8 | 43 |
| 14 | Newcastle United | 36 | -21 | 43 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 36 | -20 | 40 |
| 16 | Everton FC | 35 | -19 | 36 |
| 17 | Burnley FC | 36 | -18 | 34 |
| 18 | Leeds United | 36 | -38 | 34 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 36 | -38 | 23 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 36 | -56 | 21 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 21 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 10 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 10 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 10 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 9 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| James, Daniel | Leeds United | 1 | 7 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 8 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 8 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
