West Ham United have one of the worst defences in the Premier league this season and they have conceded as many as 31 goals so far in 19 matches. Opponents have often been seen scoring for fun against the Hammers and Bilic hasn’t been able to make the backline click despite experimenting with various combinations.
With main defenders like James Collins and Reece Oxford out with injury currently, Bilic’s brittle back three looks tremendously shaky and vulnerable. Bilic might just get the winter transfer window to save their season and perhaps his designation in the club and he is desperately looking for players who could make his backline stable.
And the latest name to have emerged is Granada defender Molla Wague. Although Southampton are also after the defender, West Ham’s current crisis at the back surpasses them by miles and the Hammers should do whatever it takes to make the deal happen.
The 25-year-old has been on loan at Udinese since 2014 and has impressed numerous clubs in the Italian league. Wague is also reportedly linked with a move to France, where Marseille are said to be preparing a bid for January. However, as per TMW, the two clubs are said to be favourites to sign the centre-back ahead of the Ligue 1 outfit, due to their financial power.
In the Italian Serie A, Wague has won 13 tackles this season in 6 appearances with a success rate of 57%. He has made 14 interceptions, 28 clearances and four blocks. He is quite powerful in the aerial duels and has a brilliant timing when making tackles. His ability to intercept passes has been on display in the Serie A and playing in Premier League would only improve him.
Wague has come up the ranks of lower tier French club SM Caen before making the big move to Granada in 2014. However, he has since been kept in Udinese for experience and the 25-year-old has grown out to be a solid rock at the back.
Wague looks like a perfect option for the three-man West Ham defence as he can play both as a centre back and a right back, but it would be difficult for Bilic to acquire him this January. Given the fact that Wague is currently in Italy on a temporary basis, Granada would prefer any deal to be done in the summer.
But, West Ham United are one of the financially strong teams in England and luring the player and the club shouldn’t be a difficult task for the London Club.
