West Ham United fans will be pretty happy after managing to salvage one point against Liverpool away from home on Sunday. Even though it was quite a good result for the Hammers, there is a huge room for improvement at the Olympic stadium in London. Slaven Bilic got the vote of confidence from the owners lately but he has to ensure that the East London club pick up their game really soon.
A key reason behind West Ham struggling so bad this season has been their poor defending. Bilic has tried and tested both five at the back and four at the back but still has ended up conceding the second most number of goals this season; 31 from just 15 games. You do not need to be a football expert to see that how badly the Hammers are in need of defensive reinforcements.
To end their poor run of form, West Ham are ready to trigger the £18million release clause in Lamine Kone’s contract with fellow strugglers Sunderland if reports from The Mirror are to be believed. The centre-back was brought in by then-boss Sam Allardyce from French club Lorient last January and helped the Wearsiders avoid relegation and signed a new five-year deal in September but in doing that, he also inserted a release clause that makes him available if any club triggers that.
£18million is certainly a bit too much for a player like Kone who has not done too well this season. Sunderland, just like West Ham, have struggled defensively and Kone has failed to inspire them. His individual display in the second half of the last season was brilliant but this term, he has failed to continue that.
However, West Ham do not have too many options right now than to pay £18million for Kone. The Ivorian can bring the leadership in the defence they are missing. Neither Reid nor Ogbonna has managed to prove their worth this season. James Collins is at the dusk of his career and is not in the long-term plan. Now aged 27, Kone still has his best days ahead of him and can be a success at London Stadium in the long run.
Kone is brilliant in the air which is visible from his record of 2.5 aerial duels won this season. However, his passing (69.1%) leaves a lot to be desired and he needs to improve on that to do well at West Ham. The Hammers do not have too many options on their hands and going for Kone won’t be the worst decision.
