West Ham United are reportedly eyeing a move for Portuguese star William Carvalho as manager Slaven Bilic plans to add more balance to his midfield. The Sporting CP player had come extremely close to joining North London giants Arsenal last month but the deal collapsed, and now with just three weeks left until the transfer window closes, the Hammers would have to move fast in order to secure the deal.
Getting in the midfielder would surely need a club record bid by the Hammers given how reluctant Sporting CP has been in letting their talent leave. According to reports, the 25-year-old has a whopping release clause of £39.5million in his contract that makes him unaffordable for most clubs.
The Hammers are willing to shell out £25 million for him and although the bid is subjected to negotiation, Sporting Lisbon won’t risk stretching the asking fee owing to the player’s underwhelming season last campaign.
Bilic has already brought in Pablo Zabaleta, Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic this summer, who are pretty experienced in the Premier League and should be expected fire straight away from the start. And a signing like Carvalho will bring the much-needed balance to their defensive third. Alongside the likes of Mark Noble, Cheikhou Kouyate and Pedro Obiang, Carvalho could get to spread his feathers.
Naturally, a defensive midfielder, Carvalho is extremely versatile in the defensive third playing comfortably in the centre half as well as right back’s role as and when needed. Sporting Lisbon have mostly used him as a deep lying midfielder from where he pulls the strings successfully owing to his brilliant passing abilities. Having speedsters and towering forwards up front, Carvalho’s attributes could be optimally used by Bilic.
Carvalho also retains scintillating dribbling abilities and although there won’t be much of an opportunity in the Premier League to play that card, it definitely adds a surprising element to his bag of tricks. The academy product of Sporting CP, Carvalho’s rise should be largely credited to his temporary stints with Portuguese side Fatima and Belgian side Cercle Brugge.
He was an early bloomer and broke into the first team when he was only 19-year-old. He has played over 100 games for the club so far, helping them win the Taca de Portugal in the process. He made his national debut in in 2013 and has been a regular member since then earning 30 caps playing a significant role in Portugal’s Euro Cup 2016 success.
