West Ham United's transfer window has whirred into robust life this summer, with technical director Tim Steidten pulling no punches in the fight to build a successful team after the David Moyes era.
Having previously wrapped up deals for teenage winger Luis Guilherme and centre-back Max Kilman (for a combined fee of £65.5m), the Hammers have suggested that they are gearing up for success under new head coach Julen Lopetegui.
Now, a deal to sign Jean-Clair Todibo has been agreed (a one-year loan with an obligatory £27m buy option) as West Ham continue to eye improvements to their backline, but there are fears that the OGC Nice central defender is holding out for Juventus.
Steidten will take inspiration from Manchester United's soon-confirmed signing of Leny Yoro and persist in their efforts to convince Todibo; with an exciting new defensive partner also in the pipeline, West Ham are certainly demonstrating their ambitions.
West Ham transfer news
According to The Telegraph, West Ham are interested in signing Man United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has one year remaining on his current contract and is surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.
Wan-Bissaka has slumped from his once-imperious defensive standard but he's still a talented full-back with skills that could make him an excellent addition at West Ham, and for just £15m, it could turn out to be a bargain.
Why West Ham must sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka
The 26-year-old defender has been described in the past as a "machine" by commentator Jim Beglin, such is the iron-strapped nature of his defensive style.
Signed from Crystal Palace for a fee rising to £50m in 2019, Wan-Bissaka garnered a reputation for tough-tackling, no-nonsense defending, proving to be a nightmare for wingers as he blended athletic robustness with a hunger for recycling possession with crunching challenges.
He's amassed 190 appearances for the Red Devils, and while he's markedly regressed in performance level and output over the past few years, a breath of fresh life at the London Stadium could see him revive the finest qualities that led talent scout Jacek Kulig to laud him as "a real monster in defence".
23/24
1.9
1.9
2.5
4.0 (62%)
22/23
1.2
2.1
1.8
3.1 (59%)
21/22
2.5
1.7
1.6
4.9 (62%)
20/21
2.6
1.8
1.8
4.0 (60%)
19/20
3.7
1.9
1.7
5.8 (64%)
As you can see above, Wan-Bissaka is invariably secure in his defensive approach, and while the sheer volume of his tackling stats has decreased over the past few years, injuries and tough conditions have had a deleterious effect on his glowing attribute, and it can certainly be rekindled.
Jamie Carragher dubbed him the "best one-on-one full-back in the world" back in 2020, and with Todibo evidently holding reservations about a transfer to West Ham, he could be convinced by the posited partnership with Wan-Bissaka on the right.
Wan-Bissaka might not be Trent Alexander-Arnold in attack but he's deceptively talented in an attacking sense: in 2020/21, perhaps regarded as his best season in a Man United shirt, the Englishman racked up four assists and averaged just shy of a key pass (0.9) every game, also completing a dribble per match at a success rate of 57%.
Compare that to Vladimir Coufal last season, who was at his playmaking best but averaged 0.9 key passes and just 0.3 dribbles per outing, and it's clear that Wan-Bissaka can indeed bring some attacking impetus to strengthen Lopetegui's tactical accord.
Why Wan-Bissaka can thrive alongside Todibo
And that brings us nicely back to Todibo. The Nice centre-half has been lauded as the "complete package" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, or his steely presence in defence has fused with an inborn creativity that allows him to distribute in a manner not befitting a central defender.
But such antiquated views have long since been left in the past; this is the age of ball-playing backliners. As per FBref, Todibo ranked among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues last season for assists, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 15% for progressive passes, the top 4% for successful take-ons and the top 17% for progressive carries and tackles made per 90.
The complete package indeed. Wan-Bissaka will bring a solid degree of strength to Lopetegui's side's defensive efforts but, moreover, he will find a dreamy pass-centric partner to allow him to play with freedom down the flank, contributing toward the offensives as well as stamping out enemy advances.
Lopetegui employs a possession-focussed style compared to his Hammers predecessor, clearly seeking to cement a ball-playing foundation in defence, signing technically sound Kilman from Wolverhampton Wanderers and pushing to complete the deal for Todibo.
Wan-Bissaka is a good passer of the ball, ranking among the top 17% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, while Emerson Palmieri on the left is an experienced defender, rooted in solidity but also demonstrating a rounded and reliable style of play last season.
How West Ham fare next season, stepping into the new era, will become clearer in a month or two, but few would argue against the east London outfit's drive to improve, with Lopetegui revolutionising his rearguard.
Coufal has been nothing short of a stalwart for the club after signing from Slavia Prague for just £5m in 2020, but, 32 in a month, the Czech international needs competition, especially since the athletic Ben Johnson has completed a move to newly-promoted Ipswich Town.
Therefore, Wan-Bissaka would be a brilliant addition to a team in transition. He's showcased his steely skills before, and now he can hit his finest form once again at West Ham.
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