Sports
West Ham open talks to sign a huge upgrade on Mavropanos
West Ham United are in crisis at the moment.
That might sound hyperbolic, but ask their fans, and they’d almost certainly agree.
Sure, Nuno Espírito Santo’s side are through to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, but they’re also languishing down in 18th in the Premier League, seven points from safety and with no wins in their last ten games.
The only thing for fans to cling to at the moment is that West Ham at least appear intent on adding to the squad this month, and, if reports are to be believed, they could be looking to sign someone to cover and be an upgrade on Konstantinos Mavropanos.
West Ham target Mavropanos upgrade
It may well be too little too late, but West Ham are clearly trying to improve their squad this month in a last-ditch effort to stave off the drop.
For example, up top, the East Londoners have already added Argentine striker Taty Castellanos, who scored against Queens Park Rangers, and Pablo Felipe from Portuguese club Gil Vicente.
There have also been links to new goalkeepers, be that Tottenham Hotspur’s Antonín Kinský or Chelsea’s Filip Jörgensen.
However, while these additions could help the team in their goals, most fans would point to the defence as the area most in need of reinforcing, especially following Mavropanos’ injury.
The good news is that the club also appear intent on improving this area of the team.
At least that is according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, which claims that West Ham are interested in Axel Disasi.
In fact, the report states that when the Hammers recently inquired about Jörgensen, they also spoke to the Blues about the French centre-back, who has been in the ‘bomb squad’ for some time now.
It’s unclear what shape a deal for the defender would take, but stories from earlier in the window and the summer, for that matter, claimed that the Irons would like to take him on loan.
With that said, if the fee isn’t too dear, it might not be a bad idea for West Ham to sign Disasi on a permanent deal, as he’d be an upgrade on Mavropanos.
Why Disasi would be an upgrade on Mavropanos
Now, with Mavropanos currently out injured, it would be smart for West Ham to sign Disasi regardless of how he stacks up to the Greek.
After all, they are in the midst of a relegation scrap and need the bodies back there.
However, even if the former Stuttgart star weren’t out, the East Londoners would be wise to bring in the Chelsea man, and the first reason is that Mavropanos isn’t good enough.
He’s not got the ability to be a modern ball-playing centre-back, but at the same time, he’s surprisingly easy to get past and bully for someone of his size.
In the words of The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas, he often appears as if he has “no clue” what to do in the penalty area and tends to make the wrong decision.
Now, the Blues’ banished defender has also made his fair share of mistakes, but not being quite good enough for a team with ambitions of winning major silverware and playing in the Champions League does not mean he’s not good enough to play for a side fighting relegation.
Moreover, during his time in France, with Ligue 1 giants AS Monaco, talent scout Jacek Kulig compared him to Virgil van Dijk and described him as “a true hidden gem” who was “born to play in England.”
Finally, when you take a look under the hood and compare the Frenchman’s underlying numbers from last season – when he was playing – to the Hammers’ ace’s from this season, it’s crystal clear who the better player is.
According to FBref, the “dominant” Chelsea man, as dubbed by Kulig, comes out on top in almost every relevant metric, be that offensive or defensive.
|
Disasi vs Mavropanos |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics per 90 |
Disasi |
Mavropanos |
|
Non-Penalty Expected G+As |
0.11 |
0.06 |
|
Progressive Carries |
1.15 |
0.58 |
|
Progressive Passes |
3.33 |
2.73 |
|
Passing Accuracy |
90.4% |
85.4% |
|
Key Passes |
0.67 |
0.00 |
|
Shot-Creating Actions |
1.27 |
0.33 |
|
Goal-Creating Actions |
0.18 |
0.00 |
|
Tackles |
1.58 |
1.32 |
|
Tackles Won |
0.78 |
0.74 |
|
Passes Blocked |
0.55 |
0.50 |
|
Errors Leading to a Shot |
0.06 |
0.08 |
|
% of Aerial Duels Won |
62.9% |
62.0% |
|
All Stats via FBref for 24/25 vs 25/26 |
||
These include metrics like progressive passes and carries, passing accuracy, key passes, tackles and tackles won, passes blocked, errors leading to a shot, percentage of aerial duels won, and more, all per 90.
Ultimately, he might not be the most exciting signing West Ham could make, but Disasi would clearly be a massive upgrade on Mavropanos and could help Nuno’s side avoid relegation.
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