West Ham United started their Olympic Stadium era in style with a 3-0 win against Domzale in the second leg Europa League Third qualifying round. The Hammers successfully overturned their 2-1 deficit from the previous leg to make to the Playoffs against Romanian side Astra Giurgiu. With the Premier League all set to kick off next weekend and the side just one two-legged playoff victory away from their Europa League qualification, the sense of optimism is growing surrounding the East Londoners’ first season at the Olympic Stadium is the least surprising.
West Ham United’s preparations for a strong maiden season at their new home, i.e. the Olympic Stadium was dealt a major blow with the news of Aaron Cresswell suffering a long-term injury which keeps him out of action for the rest of the calendar year.
West Ham United are now in a dire need for a left-back who can fill in the void of the 26-year-old and had identified Davide Santon as someone who can do that job but Sky Sports claim that the Italian has failed his medical ahead of his loan move to West Ham from Inter. The Hammers now have to look for an alternative to the former Newcastle United defender and in this article, we will be naming three players they could go for.
Charlie Taylor
The 22-year-old Leeds United left-back could well be the next big Premier League import from Elland Road after the likes of Sam Byram and Lewis Cook. The youngster has just one year remaining on his contract with Leeds and could be on his way out if the right offer is tabled.
West Ham should have moved for another left-back regardless of the injury to Cresswell and moving for a long-term project like the Leeds United star makes more sense than just looking for a short-term cover for Cresswell. Taylor is a highly-rated defender excelling both defensively and attacking wise and can be a big success at the Olympic Stadium on a long run.
Ludwig Augustinsson
The 22-year-old is one of the hottest properties in world football right now. Danish League has become too easy for the FC Copenhagen defender and it’s time for the Swedish international to move to a bigger stage. The Swede is a complete modern wing-back with brilliant attacking abilities from the left flank.
Blessed with a blistering pace, the 22-year-old is a menace on his bombarding forward runs from defence. Augustinsson looks quite assured when on the ball and can pick out his teammates in the centre with a deadly eye for crosses. A set-piece specialist, Augustinsson very much resembles Cresswell from all aspects of the game.
Jetro Willems
The 22-year-old is a highly rated left-back and is quite experienced for his age. The PSV Eindhoven star still holds the record for being the youngest player ever to play in the UEFA European Championship when he represented the Oranje in 2012 Euro 2016. Already capped 20 times for the Netherlands, Willems has played a key role for PSV in their back to back Eredivisie wins but now is the time when the 22-year-old should move to a bigger league.
Willems is an attacking full-back and can outrun most players with his pace on his bombarding runs forward. With 161 caps for PSV already to his name, Willems would be a quality addition to West Ham and he can fill in the void of Cresswell ideally with his willingness to attack from defence.