Our View: West Ham should go all out for West Brom’s Nathan Ferguson this month

Add as preferred source on Google

This is a hugely important month for West Ham. And not just on the field.

If the Hammers fail to adequately strengthen their squad before the transfer window closes, relegation down to the Championship could be a very real possibility.

There are plenty of areas that David Moyes needs to strengthen. West Ham need a new goalkeeper, a central midfielder and striker.

One department that often gets overlooked, however, is the full-back position.

At right-back, Pablo Zabaleta is leaving in the summer, and Ryan Fredericks is out for up to six weeks.

And on the other side, Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku are both inconsistent and unreliable form a fitness perspective.

With this in mind, the Hammers should be targeting a versatile young full-back who can play on either side.

And a great option for them could be West Brom’s Nathan Ferguson.

According to the Sun (December 8th, page 61), the Baggies value the 19-year-old right-back at around £20 million. And in this day and age, that would represent excellent value for money for West Ham.

Ferguson is a real talent. He possesses pace in abundance, is athletic, energetic and plays with real attacking intent.

The teenager is a tenacious tackler, and has impressive positional sense for someone so young.

The West Brom starlet can also play at centre-back and left-back if needed, and that makes the reported fee of £20 million seem even more reasonable.

The problem is that the West Ham owners will be reluctant to spend that kind of cash this month on one player. Especially on someone with no Premier League experience.

He has made 20 Championship appearances for West Brom this season, however. And considering the physicality and frenetic nature of England’s second tier, that is quite some achievement for a 19-year-old.

The Hammers owners must be more forward thinking, however. Ferguson could be worth three times that amount in five years or so. And the qualities that he could bring to West Ham would make them a totally different side. Both defensively and in the final third.