Grading West Ham’s Depth in every position

(Photo by James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images)

Centre-back: B

On the surface, there is a lot to like about West Ham’s centre-backs and the depth at the position, but upon closer inspection, the position is a potential house of cards in a pending windstorm.

The unquestionably good is Angelo Ogbonna. The veteran defender is a stallion amidst a late-career renaissance and has kept this team together all season long. Under contract until 2022 with an option to extend, he’s the top dog now, a leader for the team, and will be a great mentor for the next up. Shoo-in for Hammer of the year.

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Issa Diop is a shining star prospect and player, but there are reports that he could be tempted away from the club. With Spurs and Manchester United circling, Diop is not solidified enough to play through distraction so this is a major concern for Moyes. It’s ideal that he stays at West Ham and helps for the push to Europe, but he is the most uncertain player in the team.

Fabian Balbuena is too much of a gamble to play consistently and Winston Reid‘s injury reliability has him out of the picture with the first team anymore. This leaves Goncalo Cardoso as the only other option for centre-back depth. While he’s been excelling with the U23s, is this enough success to give him a shot at the first team bench position?

Realistically, Moyes needs to get out in front of this potentially disastrous backline and trim the fat while also investing in players he can get the most out of in his defensive vision of HIS team. Joe Worrall is a name that has been highlighted as a potential suitor for the job of centreback bench option as well as first-team pusher.

If Cardoso can be trusted and shows more growth with increased opportunity, he could potentially skip the loan out stage and be baptized by fire in the Premier League. It’s a massive risk and shows exactly why there needs to be a revamp behind the scenes by Moyes and his centre-back depth chart.