Latest reports claim that West Ham United are ready to splash £20m for Swansea City duo, Lukasz Fabianski and Alfie Mawson. Manuel Pellegrini is already close to bringing in Felipe Anderson from Lazio with a £27m bid and now is looking to make the right defensive reinforcements.
Fabianski is valued at £7m even though the Polish international is 33 now. Mawson is currently rated as one of the best young centre-backs after his impressive bouts for Swansea last term. The Englishman, unfortunately, could not keep his side in the Premier League through a rigorous relegation battle but still managed to catch the attention of most top-tier clubs.
Mawson has racked up 71 total appearances for the Welsh outfit since making his move permanent from Barnsley in the summer of 2016. The 24-year-old toiled his way through various loan spells with clubs like Maidenhead United, Wycombe Wanderers, Luton Town and Welling United.
He was released from Reading FC youth academy when he was 15 and even had unsuccessful trial spells with Bournemouth and Millwall. Brentford was quick to sign him up on 2-year scholarship in 2010 and we now are getting to experience one of the most inspiring stories of sheer hard work and dedication.
Mawson made his senior debut against Derby County in August 2013 but could not break into the Bees senior team. He showcased his skills at Barnsley during his 63 total appearances and 9 goals in League One, which earned him the move to the Liberty Stadium.
Now we get to witness the 24-year-old’s name getting circled around the same ones in the England national team. Mawson has been capped 6 times for his country’s U21 side and was called up by Gareth Southgate for the 2018 FIFA World Cup warm-up matches against the Netherlands and Italy.
He scored his first international goal in the 2-1 win over Slovakia U21 side. Mawson has developed himself into one of the more prominent names in the top-flight. His astute sense of judging an opposition attack while staying disciplined at the back is what marks him at such a high value in the present market.
The Swans are no longer in the Premier League after finishing 18th last season. They are expected to part ways with their high profile names and Mawson certainly trumps that list.
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West Ham could use more additions to the backline after accommodating the worst defence in the league (68 conceded goals) this past campaign.
