It seems as though West Ham United may have missed out on a real gem in the summer of 2020. Sven Botman was on the Hammers’ radar nine months ago (FootMercato).
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The 21-year-old Dutchman needed up joining Lille, however, for around £8 million.
Botman has been in sensational form for Lille this season.
In 35 Ligue 1 outings for Lille, the Holland under-21 international has averaged 0.9 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 3.3 clearances per game. He has also won an average of 3.3 aerial duels per match during those appearances (Who Scored).
Standing at 6ft 4in tall, the Dutch starlet is a physically imposing defender. He is strong in the air, tough in the tackle and is also a very good reader of the game for someone so young.
West Ham will have huge Sven Botman regret
Jose Fonte, who has played with both Botman and Virgil van Dijk rates the Lille centre-back as the best cental defender he has ever played alongside (Express).
The Lille ace could now be worth £70 million according to Atletico Madrid scout Eric Olhats.
The Spaniard told Mundo Deportivo:
“I know what other centre-backs in Europe cost, it’s my job. They want €80 million (£70 million) for Sven Botman from Lille for example.”
Whether lille would actually demand that much for Botman is unclear.
What is obvious, however, is the fact that West Ham have missed out on a really good player.
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And it’s certainly not the first time that has happened over the past decade.
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