£33 million defender looks man for Hammers

By Simon Leyland

Our new Sporting Director Mark Noble is going to be a busy man in the summer as he tries to sort out our ongoing centre-back issue.

All of our centre-back options: Nayef Aguerd, Kurt Zouma, Thilo Kehrer and ageing Angelo Ogbonna have all suffered injuries of various descriptions throughout this season and we really need to add to this position.

Of course, this all depends on whether or not we are still a Premiership club.

Monaco defender Axel Disasi has been linked with a move to the London Stadium in recent weeks after Nobes went to scout him and represents both the perfect partner for Aguerd and a like for like replacement for Ogbonna, when he departs for pastures new at the end of the season.

He is not cheap, he is being touted at £33 million but has had a stellar season for Monaco this season. The 24 year old defender has both strength and poise on the ball and has had five goals and five assists to his name this term.                    Disasi

He is on the radar of a quite a few clubs, so his price will rise in the event of a bidding war.

There are cheaper alternatives though. According to other sources, we are also interested in signing the 28 year old Bayer Leverkusen defender, Jonathan Tah for £25 million in the summer as a replacement for Craig Dawson.

The German defender provides plenty of experience and like Disasi, Tah is certainly built for the rigours of the Premier League, very capable both in the air and takes no prisoners in his defensive duties on the pitch. Tah is another good fit to play alongside Aguerd.

The last on Noble`s list is the youngest, and perhaps could be the best of the lot. The 22-year-old Odilon Kossounou, currently plying his trade at Bayer Leverkusen has quickly picked up a reputation as one of the Bundesliga’s best young centre-backs. He would be available for a still eyewatering amount of £26 million. He has bags of potential and he would too be a great addition for the Irons.

Nevertheless, this is all moot if we lose our Premiership status