West Ham linked to sign Spanish defender on loan
West Ham might be able to catch a break in the transfer market, as reported target Unai Nunez has asked to leave Atletico Bilbao.
David Moyes is on the lookout for a new central defender as he does not have faith in Fabian Balbuena. West Ham’s other options also need support, Angelo Ogbonna is the wrong side of thirty, and Issa Diop has become increasingly inconsistent.
The Scottish manager has been targeting Burnley defender James Tarkowski. The chase for the English defender has proved to be very difficult as the Clarets have refused to budge on their asking price. There is still a gap of at least £10 million between West Ham’s lastest bid and Burnley’s valuation.
The Hammers luck may be about to turn though. According to AS, reported Hammer’s target Unai Nunez has asked to leave Athletico Bilbao as he wants more regular game time over the next year. The 23-year-old has aims of playing in the Olympic games for Spain and needs minutes under his belt to get selected.
"“As I have said, my main concern is to play. It does not matter so much where as how much you play. The more he does it, the better for Athletic; because, I insist, I want and I am convinced that I can succeed at Athletic.” Said Nunez."
Like most players from the Basque country, Nunez does want to succeed at Bilbao in the long-term. But in the short-term, a club could come in and sign Nunez to a season-long loan which would be a very wise choice considering he his an excellent defender.
The one-time Spain international only played twenty times for Bilbao last season but is behind experienced defenders Iñigo Martínez and Yeray Álvarez. Despite this reduced playing time Nunez still averages 4.3 clearances and 1.4 tackles per-ninety minutes which is very respectable for a centre-back.
The Hammers will face competition from Wolves and Arsenal for the Spanish defenders signature. Mikel Arteta‘s side may have dropped out of the race now due to the arrivals of Gabriel dos Santos Magalhães and William Saliba.
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Nunez would be a very option for West Ham if they were able to capture his signature ahead of their Premier League rivals. The shame is the fact it may only be a loan deal, but it would allow time for funds to replenish and then sign a permanent player next summer.