An ‘incredible’ star West Ham were ready to put a lot of money on the table to sign is still a free agent after the transfer window shut.
West Ham were allegedly ready to offer Dan-Axel Zagadou a large package in order to tempt him to move to the London Stadium this summer.
That’s according to a recent report from Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport who claimed that Roma, West Ham and Manchester United wanted to sign the 23-year-old as well.
West Ham boss David Moyes has been persistently linked with a move to bring Zagadou to the club (Calcio Mercato Web).
It had been suggested that the French defender is keen to move to the Premier League after seeing out his Borussia Dortmund contract.
But he had looked set to join Jose Mourinho at Roma.
Meanwhile Moyes moved to try and sign the likes of Jan Bednarek on deadline day as Craig Dawson pushed for a move away from West Ham for personal reasons.
Gazzetta dello Sport and The Sun claimed the Hammers were willing to offer ‘a lot of funds’ to put them in pole position for Zagadou’s signature.
Well the ‘incredible’ star West Ham were ready to put a lot of money on the table to sign is still a free agent after the window shut last night.
The transfer deadline passed last night without Zagadou signing for anyone amid continued speculation over a tussle for his services, which was also said to involve Inter Milan.
But Inter signed Lazio outcast Francesco Acerbi last night narrowing Zagadou’s options.
The defender is available on a free transfer which means West Ham could still sign him if Moyes remains interested.
And he could present the perfect solution to the Dawson situation.
Many Hammers fans are uncomfortable with the fact Dawson has been forced to stay at the club despite his personal problems.
It would not be unheard of for West Ham to mutually terminate a player’s contract. The Hammers were only said to be getting the £2.5-3m they paid for Dawson back from Wolves.
So if a mutual termination solves Dawson’s personal issue by allowing him to go elsewhere – while saving West Ham a similar amount in wages then it might work out best for all parties.
Especially if West Ham can bring in free agent Zagadou as his replacement.
Zagadou is a classy defender but has suffered injury problems.
He only made 15 Bundesliga appearances for Borussia Dortmund last season. But he could be the perfect signing to act as back-up to West Ham’s current defenders until he gets himself up to speed with the Premier League.
BVB’s official website describe the centre-back as an ‘incredible’ player.
Standing at 6ft 6in tall, Zagadou is strong in the air but he is also quick along the ground.
The Dortmund ace is very good with the ball at his feet as well. In 15 league appearances last season he made an average of 60.2 passes per game and registered an incredibly impressive 88.2% completion rate (Who Scored).