West Ham United are approaching the culmination of the January transfer window having signed Kalvin Phillips on loan from Manchester City, but David Moyes is not finished yet.
With the market shutting this evening, the Hammers are pushing to complete deals across multiple fronts, and while much of the chatter has surrounded the attacking ranks, reports suggest that the Irons are closing on an exciting defensive prospect.
Who West Ham could sign today
With Said Benrahma and Pablo Fornals both touted for an exit from the London Stadium today, Moyes have been in pursuit of new attacking options such as Al-Ittihad's Jota and teenage whiz Ibrahim Osman.
West Ham could forget Jota with D-day move for “electric” Benrahma upgrade
David Moyes is eager to strengthen before the market shuts this evening.
ByAngus Sinclair Feb 1, 2024
Eager to strengthen in other areas too, a recent report from Football Insider suggests that Le Havre central defender Arouna Sangante is closing in on a loan move to east London, in advanced talks to bring the 21-year-old in before the deadline.
The suggestion is that the Hammers are closing in on a deal with negotiations said to be at an 'advanced stage'.
Arouna Sangante's style of play
Described as a "star" by journalist Pete O'Rourke, Sangante has been in fine fettle for Le Havre this season and would represent a shrewd piece of business to strengthen West Ham's backline, especially at this late stage.
While he is still young, Sangante could prove to be an instant upgrade on Konstantinos Mavropanos, a £19m summer signing from Stuttgart, who has only started six Premier League matches so far.
#
Player
Club
1.
Lisandro Martinez
Manchester United
2.
Igor Julio
Brighton & Hove Albion
3.
Wesley Fofana
Chelsea
4.
Joel Matip
Liverpool
5.
Benoit Badiashile
Chelsea
Source: Football Transfers
A creative and robust defender, the 5 foot 11 Sangante ranks among the top 4% of centre-halves across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions and the top 1% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref, with such attributes attractive for a Hammers side reliant on progression through transition-based swiftness.
Mavropanos, by comparison, also offers a modern and progressive skill set but ranks only among the top 37% of defenders for shot-creating actions per 90, also, to his credit, among the top 13% for progressive carries, the top 3% for interceptions and the top 15% for aerial duels won per 90.
In Ligue 1 this term, Sangante, who captains Le Club Doyen despite his relative youth, has started 16 times in the French top division this season and has completed 84% of his passes, averaging 0.6 key passes, 2.5 interceptions, 1.9 tackles, 5.2 ball recoveries, 2.9 clearances and 4.8 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore.
Mavropanos has only completed 76% of his passes in the English top-flight and while he is seeking to be enterprising with his distribution, 0.1 key passes per outing highlights the lack of success in this regard.
The 24-cap Greece international also averages 1.3 interceptions, 1.0 tackles, 3.1 recoveries and 4.0 clearances per game, so Sangante could certainly emulate and perhaps even surpass the 26-year-old's activeness in his defensive duties under Moyes' wing.
It's a move that Moyes has to complete, with the business end of the campaign tantalising riches but also calling for sturdy support to help realise the Scotsman's ambitions.