West Ham’s first defensive signing could be Brighton’s out-of-favour Shane Duffy, which could provide some much-needed centre-back competition.
Links have emerged, some credible and others questionable, surrounding Brighton centre-back Shane Duffy joining West Ham. Most of these links also have included West Brom, who were apparently priced out on wages, and Burnley, who are deemed too far from Duffy’s Brighton home.
West Ham’s close proximity and ability to pay larger player wages, Duffy is estimated to be on £40k a week, makes them the front runner, despite his desire to join Celtic in hopes of Champions League football (reportedly).
At 28-years-old, Duffy is no Red Bull Model youngster, but centre-backs do tend to age a bit differently, and there is no question Duffy is currently in the prime of his career. Graham Potter has decided to invest more time in club captain Lewis Dunk and incumbent loan returnee Ben White for the 2020/21 campaign.
Duffy is a terrific aerial defender and at 6’3″ he can and will make an impact at both ends of the pitch. He also has a history with David Moyes at Everton and has captained the Ireland International squad, as well as his Brighton squad at times. 96 Premier League matches, 33 senior international caps, and 132 matches played in the championship. Duffy brings experience.
So, who loses out to Duffy should he join West Ham? The obvious answer is Fabian Balbuena. Only used sparingly by David Moyes when he had limited choices, Balbuena is never going to earn the trust needed to be a first-team starter. He was a Pellegrini purchase and will likely be offloaded to help finance this deal.
Issa Diop is likely to also be unsettled and possibly benched in place of Duffy. Diop regressed massively in his sophomore Premier League season, looking shakey and uncertain more often than not. He’s head and shoulders above Balbuena, but Diop would be set to battle a player brought in by Moyes who brings more experience and leadership than he does.
Duffy is looking to move to get more regular match time and if he was to come to Moyes’ West Ham, it’ll be with the promise of that opportunity. No one is safe, but Diop’s regression compared to Angelo Ogbonna‘s progression makes him the starter in the hot seat.
If not Diop sacrificed, could Moyes be cutting the idea of a four-at-the-back formation he’s used this year? We know Moyes likes to play five-at-the-back and a third, capable centre-back could make this an option yet again. Regardless, Duffy’s addition to West Ham would spice up the backline that would STILL require more investment. Bring him on in!