This week saw some clarity appear regarding West Ham United’s plans at centre-half, with a handful of targets emerging.
On the day when the Hammers officially said goodbye to Axel Disasi, club insider ExWhuEmployee stated that talks are underway with Middlesbrough giant Dael Fry.
A 28-year-old, soon-to-be free-agent with over 250 Championship appearances under his belt, Ex tells the West Ham Way that Fry is not only the ‘top target’ but also the ‘most realistic’.
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He is far from the only one in West Ham United’s sights, though.
There is reportedly interest in Stoke City captain Ben Wilmot and former Brighton ace Adam Webster, too. Dylan Lawlor of Cardiff City caught the eye, per The Athletic, as the Bluebirds stormed back to the second-tier.
West Ham United fans talk up Cardiff City’s Dylan Lawlor
The chances are, with Disasi gone, Max Kilman, Dinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo potentially following, Fry will not be the only centre-back signing this summer.
When we at Hammers News asked our TalkingPoint users to give their take on the current situation, one name seemed to stand out above the rest in terms of who many fans would like to see posing with a claret and blue scarf at Rush Green.
“Lawlor,” one fan says, the Welsh flag in their profile picture suggesting that he knows quite a bit about a Caerphilly-born 20-year-old who already has six caps under Craig Bellamy.
“Fry is a free, so is Webster, but he is coming back from major knee injury,” another fan writes. “Fry is decent, but Lawlor will become a top centre-back.”
“Lawlor would be my choice,” adds a third.
If they like the idea of Lawlor already, just wait until they see the goal he scored for Cardiff in February’s 4-0 thrashing of Doncaster Rovers. Picking up the ball just outside his own penalty area, the youngster carried the ball effortlessly from one end to the other before finishing in style.
Former Hammers and Cardiff powerhouse Danny Gabbidon sees shades of himself in Dylan Lawlor. According to Wales Online, the fee could be somewhere in the region of £10 million.
Dael Fry, Adam Webster and Ben Wilmot are among the options
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Like Lawlor, Fry, Wilmot and especially Webster are ball-playing centre-halves renowned for their passing range as much as anything else. A Hammers side expected to enjoy far higher possession figures in the Championship may need a couple of defenders who can break the lines and step into midfield.
Luckily, there is no shortage of those on the market currently.
Other names put forward by our TalkingPoint users include Taylor Harwood-Bellis. West Ham failed with a £12.5 million bid for the Southampton ace in January.
One recommends Tom Atcheson, Blackburn Rovers’ teenage Northern Ireland international, as one to watch. Another highlights Felipe Sanchez, recently promoted to the Bundesliga with Schalke, while drawing comparisons with Tottenham’s new number five Marcos Senesi.
Links with Flamengo and Brazil star Leo Pereira have been rubbished, however.
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