West Ham are eyeing a shock move for Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles in the January transfer window.
As the Hammers have the worst defensive record in the Premier League, they are looking to bolster their defence with players proven in the top flight.
West Ham are also keen on Eric Dier, who could be on his way out of AS Monaco in the coming weeks.
Eric Dier would be the PERFECT January signing for West Ham…😍
Disagree? Tell us why 👇
Jamaal Lascelles expected to leave Newcastle in January
According to the Daily Mail, the Hammers are weighing up a shock move for the 32-year-old.
Lascelles, while being the captain of the Magpies, has found game time hard to come by under Eddie Howe.
This season, he has made just two Premier League appearances and has been on the field of play for a combined 19 minutes, with those appearances coming off the bench.
How many more signings do we need to make for you to feel confident about staying up?! 🤔
Still an awful lot of work to do…
It is understood that he is expected to leave St. James’ Park in the January transfer window, but Newcastle have their own defensive crisis to deal with.
They will have to make a decision on Lascelles soon, as his contract expires in the summer.
If they fail to cash in on him in the coming weeks, they risk losing out on a potential revenue generator.
How will West Ham line up with Jamaal Lascelles?
Nuno knows that any centre-back the Hammers sign will need to hit the ground running and start week in and week out for his side.
Lascelles is good in the air, something that the West Ham centre-backs, especially Max Kilman, have been woeful at this season.
That means that the Englishman would address a key weakness on his side and could be considered on a short-term basis to help the team battle relegation.
He likes playing as a right-sided centre-back, so in a back three, he could be on the right, with Jean-Clair Todibo in the middle and Kilman on the left.
In a back four, Nuno is likely to go for Lascelles and Todibo as a pair, as they would complement each other’s styles of play.
That said, West Ham need to consider alternatives to the Newcastle defender as there are better options out there.
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