West Ham could make a move to sign Derby County left-back Lee Buchanan in the January transfer window.
According to Derbyshire Live, Hammers boss David Moyes is keen to bring the 20-year-old Rams starlet to the London Stadium this month.
Left-back is a real area of concern for West Ham.
Aaron Cresswell has been out injured since suffering a back problem against Manchester City in late November.
At the time, the injury seemed to be an innocuous one. The longer time has passed with the 32-year-old still having not returned, however, the more concerning the situation has become.
The real worry for the Hammers is that we don’t have adequate cover for Cresswell.
Arthur Masuaku is a disaster waiting to happen when David Moyes deploys him in the left-back position. Emmanuel Longelo is quite simply too young and rough around the edges to be playing regular Premier League football.
Meanwhile, Ben Johnson is so much better and more comfortable at right-back so it seems like a waste to use him on the left.
It’s clear for everyone to see that West Ham need to sign a left-back January window. Sure, Moyes needs to bring in a striker and a centre-back as well.
But the addition of a left full-back should be right up there on the Scot’s wish-list. And it seems as though that is the case…
West Ham eye Championship left-back swoop in January window
According to Derbyshire Live, West Ham boss Moyes is eyeing up a January window swoop for talented Derby starlet Lee Buchanan.
Celtic allegedly want to sign the Rams youngster as well.
It is little wonder why the 20-year-old has so much interest in his services. He has been brilliant for Derby County this season.
Here’s a glimpse of what he is capable of…he scored this screamer when he was just 18!
Rams boss Wayne Rooney is a huge fan of Buchanan and suggested that an England call-up could be on the horizon very soon for the young defender, as quoted by Derbyshire Live:
“I think I can speak on behalf of my players. Lee Buchanan has got a really bright future and I am sure he will play for England within the next couple of years. He is getting better every game. The small sides of the game he needs to improve, he is improving on massively.”
Buchanan is a left-back by trade but he can also operate on the wing.
In 15 Championship appearances for Derby this season, the 20-year-old has averaged one tackle, 0.6 interceptions and 2.4 clearances per game (Who Scored).
He is energetic, dynamic, incredibly quick and plays with a real kind of enthusiasm that is typical of his tender years.
The 20-year-old is out of contract in the summer but Derby have the option to extend that deal by a further 12 months.
The Rams are in all sorts of financial trouble at the moment and went into administration last year (BBC). They were docked 21 points at the start of the season because of those issues.
Rooney could sell Buchanan for just £2 million this month according to The Sun. That sounds like incredible value for money to us.
We believe that the 20-year-old left-back would be the perfect January window addition for West Ham. He is available for a bargain fee and has the talent and potential needed to go on and become a truly elite player in the Premier League.
Whether we are able to beat off competition from Celtic for his signature, however, remains to be seen.
There should be no problem as far as that is concerned. We are a top six Premier League side, have European football on offer and the chance to live in London is surely one that would appeal to the young Derby man.
Let’s make this one happen, it could end up being one of the bargains of the decade.