West Ham told to forget £10m Leicester City transfer ‘risk’ | OneFootball

West Ham are thought to be keen on Leicester City's Harry Souttar as they look for defensive reinforcements in the summer transfer window.

West Ham are expected to be very busy in the coming weeks as Nuno Espírito Santo looks to build a squad that can win promotion back to the Premier League.

The Hammers’ relegation was always going to have a financial impact on the club, but the £85m sale of Mateus Fernandes has eased any major worries the club may have had.

Even though more departures are inevitable, with Crysencio Summerville expected to command a huge fee as well, Nuno and the recruitment team will be in a position to start adding to the squad.

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The news that Jarrod Bowen has agreed to stay for at least one more year is a massive boost, and there is a lot of quality in the West Ham squad by Championship standards. Nevertheless, further additions will be required if they are to go back up.

West Ham told to avoid move for Leicester City’s Harry Souttar

Nuno will be identifying several areas of the pitch to strengthen, and there’s no doubt that bringing in at least a couple of centre-backs will be a priority.

Axel Disasi has returned to Chelsea after a successful loan spell, Kostantinos Mavropanos is attracting interest after a good season, Jean-Clair Todibo fell out of favour with the boss, and Max Kilman has seriously struggled since his move from Wolves.

So, it’s no surprise a host of names have been linked with the Irons, and it has been reported that Leicester City’s Harry Souttar is a target.

The giant defender has had terrible luck with injuries over the years, with an ACL ruling him out for around a year during his Stoke City days.

Since moving to the Foxes, Souttar has continued to suffer, and he missed around 15 months after suffering a serious Achilles issue, with complications in his recovery.

Despite that, Souttar was fit for Australia at the World Cup, and he had an impressive tournament for the Socceroos, putting in several dominant displays as they reached the knockout stages.

Yet, with Leicester seeking £10m for the 27-year-old, there are obvious risks with any deal, and when asked by FLW about the prospect of signing Souttar, West Ham fan Ryan Horn admitted he would prefer the club to look elsewhere.

“Buying players that have had long-term injuries is sort of a West Ham thing!

“Souttar was at the World Cup, he has Championship experience, but I wouldn’t take the risk. We’ve had too many players with bad fitness records, and it seems to be what we do. I’d like us to move away from that trend of buying players with long-term injuries.

“We’re trying to get rid of Niclas Fullkrug at the moment, Crysencio Summerville has had problems. We just can’t risk it, with such an important season ahead, so I wouldn’t go for Souttar.”

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West Ham may not be able to afford to take Harry Souttar gamble

Souttar has been very unlucky with injuries over the years, but, remarkably, he still manages to look a class act when he returns.

After missing over a year, he returned for Leicester in the final two games of the season, and he put in two excellent displays that left fans wondering if they’d have survived if Souttar had been fit.

He has followed that up with a very good World Cup, which showed Souttar at his best. He can deal with anyone physically, he organises the rest of the defence, and he is positionally sound.

So, you can see why clubs are interested, and, if Souttar could stay fit, he would be an outstanding option for any club in the Championship.

But, the reality is that £10m is a big outlay for someone with his injury record. Plus, as outlined above, West Ham are in a concerning position when it comes to centre-backs, so many will agree that they should look elsewhere, as they will need players who Nuno can rely on week in, week out.