West Ham United are keeping tabs on Udinese centre-back Oumar Solet over a possible move in the summer, according to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira.
After spending a significant amount to reinforce their squad last summer, the season has not gone to plan for the Hammers as they’ve underperformed in every metric. In defence, the East London club have conceded 49 goals in 29 games this season, the highest by any team in the top 15 of the table.
It appears the club are now planning to fix their leaky defence in the summer, as Schira reports that a scout from West Ham was present at the San Siro to watch Solet in action against Inter Milan in the Serie A.
The 25-year-old played the duration of the game as part of a three-man defence and performed admirably well, netting the only goal for Franco Soldati’s side in the 2-1 defeat to the defending champions.
The France U20 star permanently joined Udinese in November as a free agent from Austrian giants RB Salzburg. Schira now reports that Udinese will demand a €30m (£25m) fee to allow the defensive stalwart to depart the Stadio Friuli in the summer with West Ham monitoring him.
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West Ham need defensive reinforcement
West Ham invested heavily in their squad last summer, and we’re among the highest spenders. In defence, the club signed Max Kilman from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United, and Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice. While the defenders have been impressive on several occasions, there is a lack of cohesion in the backline.
Individual errors and a lack of communication have also caused the Hammers to concede avoidable goals, and unsurprisingly, they’ve conceded a sky-high 49 goals already.
Adding a defender who can lead the backline and provide a commanding presence in the 18-yard box would help salvage their defensive woes, and this is where Solet is needed.
The 6ft 3in star has shown exemplary leadership in Udinese’s defence and is a commanding figure at the back. He excels in ball distribution and build-up play, a characteristic that would prove vital to Graham Potter’s style of play.
West Ham will savour the chance of climbing to the top 15 of the Premier League table when they travel to the West Midlands to face Wolves at the Molineux Stadium on Tuesday 1st April.
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