Green Street Hammers
Fansided

West Ham nail down Arthur Masuaku, end LB rumors

By Adam Smith

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: Heung-Min Son of Tottenham Hotspur battles for possession inside the box with Arthur Masuaku of West Ham United during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 27, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: Heung-Min Son of Tottenham Hotspur battles for possession inside the box with Arthur Masuaku of West Ham United during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 27, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

West Ham have made a signing today, this time of attacking left-back Arthur Masuaku to an extension on his current deal. This action should shut down the near-continuous talks of West Ham lining up a deal for a new fullback.

Amidst speculation that West Ham may dip into the transfer market for a left-back, West Ham inks their first choice left fullback, Arthur Masuaku to an extension. The deal will extend the DR Congo international’s contract with the Hammers until 2024.

Masuaku quickly took to Twitter to share his thanks to the club for his new deal:

If we want to read into this some more, Masuaku specifies that now is a “very exciting moment to be part of this club.” I’m sure none of us disagree, but it’s nice to hear that the players are buying into the Pellegrini era as much as we as supporters are.

Pellegrini is obviously the key to this extension, too. The manager likes his fullbacks getting forward and attacking with the forwards, and Masuaku can do this extremely well. His crossing is solid, dribbling is elite, and his link-up play with Felipe Anderson is very threatening. A full season with Masuaku in the first team could be exactly what helps take the Hammers to the next level if he can continue to improve his defensive play.

Last season, Masuaku improved by the end of the year, but his defensive inefficiency opened a massive defensive hole in the West Ham backline. It’s why Aaron Cresswell drew back into the team over him and benched him for the 12 matches he sat on the bench. This was all forgotten, however, in the last five games of the season.

The Irons went 4-1 over this period (should have been 5-0) and Masuaku looked threatening going forward and solid defensively. He only had one assist last season, which isn’t like him at all, but how well rounded he looked over the end of the year showed a lot of promise for the year to come.

dark. Next. Lanzini and Fornals offer West Ham rounded alternatives to each other

Masuaku has been away at the African Cup of Nations where he represented the DR of Congo on an extended run in the tournament. With him back in training and off to Austria, Masuaku is clearly in the driver’s seat for the left-back spot this season, ahead of Cresswell and Johnson as it stands.

Congratulations, Arthur Masuaku!

Home/West Ham News