West Ham United have been quoted a massive £20 million from Leicester City for young left-back Luke Thomas.
That’s according to a report from The Daily Mail who claim that Hammers boss David Moyes is a big fan of the 21-year-old Leicester starlet.
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Thomas has been with Leicester since he was a young boy but he only started playing regularly for the first-team last season, with 22 Premier League appearances to his name (Transfermarkt).
It seems as though the young left-back could be set for an exit from The King Power Stadium this summer though…
West Ham manager Moyes absolutely has to bring a top-class left-back to the London Stadium this summer.
Aaron Cresswell has been a great servant for the club but he regressed badly during the second half of last season. And upgrading on the 32-year-old should be one of Moyes’s main priorities between now and the end of the transfer window…
West Ham must spend big if we want Luke Thomas
The Daily Mail reckon that the Hammers will need to pay £20 million for the Leicester defender.
We think that’s far too much money to pay for someone who is essentially unproven at Premier League level.
In spite of that though, the Leicester ace did record some fairly impressive numbers last season.
In 22 Premier League appearances for the Foxes, Thomas averaged 2.3 tackles, 1.8 interceptions and 2.1 clearances per game (Who Scored).
During those outings, the youngster made 46.4 passes on average per match and recorded a completion rate of 80.3% (Who Scored). That’s very impressive for a full-back.
Thomas is fantastic at nicking the ball from the opposition but we think overall, he’s a fairly limited left-back, especially considering how full-backs are now expected to contribute at both ends of the pitch.
The 21-year-old is a fairly poor crosser of the ball and the fact that he bagged only one assist in 22 Premier League games last season tells us all that we need to know.
If West Ham are to sign a left-back this summer, Moyes has to ensure that whoever he brings in to the London Stadium is a huge upgrade on Cresswell.
Unfortunately, we don’t believe that Luke Thomas is the man for the job at West Ham.
The 21-year-old may well go on to have a very successful Premier League career. We just think that Moyes should be aiming a lot higher than the Leicester youngster. And the Hammers certainly shouldn’t be paying £20 million for Thomas.
Read other West Ham news:
Report claims £17 million West Ham ace wants to leave, agreement for sale in place
29-year-old striker says West Ham have just submitted a bid for him
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