West Ham United manager David Moyes is looking ahead to the January transfer window, with Brighton’s Lewis Dunk reportedly his top target.
Moyes took over at West Ham after the sacking of the popular Slaven Bilic, stating that the club must build from the defence – with the Daily Star reporting that Brighton’s Dunk is his desired first signing.
The club finds themselves sat precariously in the relegation zone and have struggled to stop opposing teams from scoring.
Dunk, meanwhile, has been in fine form for a Brighton team that finds themselves sitting in 8th place in the Premier League, having conceded just eleven goals so far.
And for West Ham, making changes to the defence is a necessary move.
Winston Reid, Jose Fonte, James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna are the club’s first-team centre-backs, with their average age sitting at just over 31 years.
Reid and Ogbonna are both 29 whilst Fonte is 33 and Collins is 34, with some youth a much-needed addition if the team hopes to make improvements in the near future.
Dunk is 25 years old and contributes regularly for Brighton with a tackle and 1.7 interceptions on average per match.
The Englishman, who is from Brighton and worked his way through the Seagulls’ youth academy before breaking into the first-team in 2010, also contributes 6.3 clearances per match and plays the ball well.
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He averages 41.5 passes (78.7% success rate) for the Premier League new boys and could be an important player for the ageing West Ham back-line.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart has been kept busy this season, with the Hammers conceding 23 goals in just 11 games.
Bringing in Dunk, who will be full of confidence having performed well during his first foray into the top flight, will be a good move by Moyes.
David Moyes will be cautious about the signings he makes, given the struggles he has suffered through since leaving Everton in 2013.
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Making a positive impact on the Hammers, bringing in players that add youth and talent to the team, will help the club turn their fortunes around and give Moyes a positive spell in London.
Whilst there are plenty of other gaps in the West Ham team, starting with an ageing defence is a smart move and will allow Moyes to bolster an area he has identified as the weakest area before he moves on to improving the rest of the team.