Spanish media outlet AS have claimed that West Ham decided against making a move for Athletic Bilbao centre-back Unai Nunez because of doubts about the player and the complexity of the potential deal.
The Hammers could have done with another top quality centre-back in January. Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena have been far from impressive this season. Whilst Angelo Ogbonna has been prone to the odd mistake.
West Ham put all of their focus into bringing in Jarrod Bowen on deadline day, however.
That was after signing Darren Randolph and Tomas Soucek.
Spanish publication AS claims that the Hammers were considering a €30 million (£25.4 million) move for Athletic Bilbao’s Nunez. But they decided against it due to concerns about the the potential complexity of the deal. The east London outfit also allegedly had doubts over the player’s quality.
Right decision?
Nunez is described as a tall, strong centre-back who is very good in the air by Inside Athletic (official website for Athletic Bilbao). It is also suggested that the 23-year-old is a fantastic reader of the game.
According to Who Scored, in eight La Liga outings this season, the Spaniard has averaged 1.1 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 5.3 clearances per game.
Nunez has also won an average of three aerial duals per game in those matches (Who Scored).
Those numbers are fairly impressive. It must be noted, however, that the young centre-back has only played eight league games for Bilbao this season. And there must be a reason for that.
It could also be argued that Nunez might have struggled to adapt to the frenetic pace of the Premier League, had he indeed moved to England in January.
On top of that, £25.4 million would have been a lot of money for West Ham to risk on someone who is a completely unproven commodity in England.
Who knows, Nunez might go on to become a top class defender. And then that fee will seem like a bargain. But he still has a very long way to go before he can be classed in the very top bracket of centre-backs.
That doesn’t mean that West Ham should not consider going back in for the 23-year-old in the summer, however.
Especially if he has a strong finish to the season.
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