By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
With the Championship season little more than six weeks away, the squad-stripping has barely begun and already the rumours are arriving from the continent.
We’ve heard a lot of warm words from Daniel Kretinsky about keeping our key players together. This summer, in my opinion, those words are about to be put to the real test.
As reported via Bild in Germany, Konstantinos Mavropanos is being eyed by Bayer Leverkusen, who want to strengthen the right side of their backline. PSV’s Sergiño Dest is mentioned as an alternative.
So now we find out how serious the Czech billionaire really is.
Some We Have To Accept
Of course, most Hammers fans have already made their peace with losing Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville this summer.
Players of that quality were never going to spend a season in the Championship, and nobody really expected them to.
But Mavropanos is a different conversation entirely, After all, he’s only really become a first choice selection last season.
Dinos Is The One We Keep
Dinos was an absolute colossus for us last season. Hammer of the Year, and rightly so.
Drop him into the Championship and he would comfortably be the best central defender in the division. There isn’t a club down there who wouldn’t take him tomorrow.
And that’s precisely why we cannot afford to lose him.
With Axel Disasi already gone and Jean-Clair Todibo on his way out, our defence is looking thinner by the week. Selling our best centre-half on top of that would be unwise unless forced to do so.
The Awkward Bit
Now, I’m not naive about this.
Personally, I doubt Dinos would appreciate being forced to remain at the London Stadium when a club like Leverkusen comes calling. No player of his standing wants to drop out of top-flight football.
But at some point the club have to do what’s best for the bigger picture, and the bigger picture is promotion.
If Kretinsky is serious about a swift return to the Premier League, then holding firm on players like Mavropanos isn’t a luxury. It’s the whole point.
Because anyone can talk about ambition in June. Backing it up when Leverkusen are on the phone is, as ever, another matter entirely.
It’s not a test of the Czech at all, it is simple, if an acceptable bid is made and the player wants to leave, you let him leave. Simple stuff.
Dinos as I have said before never stops trying. If others had put in the same effort our performances would not have delivered the result it they did at seasons end. Dinos is to good for the championship if he stays our fortunes will truly change. Forget his errors if the team had actually tried as He did those errors would not of mattered.
Disagree here Gonzo. For 2.5 years, he was one of the worst players I’d seen at West Ham for a long while (excluding Kilman!!). We know about the completely bizarre metamorphosis that occurred alongside Disasi but I am not convinced that we have seen the last of Mavropanic, especially given the removal of his CB partner. In which case he would be a complete liability even in the championship. As a club, we need to get better at cashing in at the right times. With regards to Mavropanos, his stock will never be higher. Maybe a good time to cash out and replace with a Callum Doyle or Harwood Bellis who know the league and have a higher ceiling for improvement/ value increase?
Good point well made. You’ve got me torn. Mav had improved with Kilman dropped and Todibo alongside prior to Disasi arriving but that’s it in defence of your post. Good on yer!
Disagree here Gonzo. For 2.5 years, he was one of the worst players I’d seen at West Ham for a long while (excluding Kilman!!). We know about the completely bizarre metamorphosis that occurred alongside Disasi but I am not convinced that we have seen the last of Mavropanic, especially given the removal of his CB partner. In which case he would be a complete liability even in the championship. As a club, we need to get better at cashing in at the right times. With regards to Mavropanos, his stock will never be higher. Surely it makes sense to cash in now and replace with a Callum Doyle or Harwood Bellis who know the league and have potential to improve/ increase in value?
I think there is a fair chance that we can keep him as he seems a decent character that is unlikely to try and force a move. We may need to do something about wages though with the risk that others will then want a similar deal.
For me, Dinos, KWP, Soucek, Kante, Bowen and Taty are the key ones we must try and keep. Hopefully a few others will stay and add in some younger players, that is the basis of a decent side. But plenty of buying also needed to build the squad depth up.