Honest West Ham summer signing Thilo Kehrer has admitted he has simply not been good enough this season after his best game yet.
As far as debut seasons go it has been a baptism of fire for Thilo Kehrer at West Ham.
Thrust straight into the team less than 24 hours after joining the Hammers, the German international briefly impressed right at the start of his time at the London Stadium.
But it is fair to say it has been all downhill since then.
The Germany international was signed from PSG for £10m in the summer despite warnings from their fans that he can be a liability.
Before the World Cup break Kehrer was described as ‘woeful’ by analysts Matchday 365 who revealed he had made the most errors directly resulting in goals for the opposition in the entire Premier League halfway through the season.
Hammers signing branded woeful
Kehrer then endured a torrid time as Germany were sent packing from Qatar at the group stage.
After a spell out of the side, Kehrer was then used at right-back against Aston Villa.
And West Ham legend Tony Gale, on commentary that game, tore into the defender saying he could not believe he was a German international.
There have been flashes of quality from Kehrer here and there. But his defending at times has been atrocious.
Against Man United, though, that all changed. The 26-year-old suddenly came into his own when facing the likes of Marcus Rashford. He was a real contender for man of the match as he helped the Hammers to a 1-0 win which makes the club all but officially safe.
Honest West Ham summer signing Thilo Kehrer admits he has simply not been good enough this season after best game yet
If this was the penny dropping for Kehrer, as seems to have been the case for several other recent arrivals in the last couple of months, then West Ham will have a serious player on their hands.
Now honest West Ham summer signing Kehrer has admitted he has simply not been good enough this season after his best game yet.
Speaking to West Ham’s official website, the humble star conceded he has been nowhere near the level required at times.
And he has vowed to try to produce performances like his season’s best vs Man United on a more consistent basis.
“I felt calm and composed and, in the game, I felt confident,” Kehrer said.
‘I know there were some games where I did not play well’
“And that showed in my performance. I think it was probably my best showing in a West Ham shirt so far. And performances such as Sunday are what I know I am capable of.
“And I have a clear goal to try and show that consistently in all the games.
“I learnt quickly that the intensity and physicality is very different between Ligue 1 and the Premier League. The competitiveness of all the teams is so close. And you just have to be at the top of your game, for every game. It has taken some time but I feel settled in now.
“When I arrived, I was playing straight away. I had to play and adapt. It happened very quickly but I am happy now because I know there were some games where I did not play as well as I can – and that can be because of different things – but the important thing is what I took out of them and what I learnt in order to progress.”
What an absolutely superb attitude.
Perhaps West Ham do have a player on their hands after all.
Let’s hope Kehrer can keep up these levels and be all the better for it next term.
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