West Ham United need to boost their defence ahead of the Championship season. They are being linked with Leicester City and Australian centre-back Harry Souttar.
Scott Burns of the Daily Record posted on X: "West Ham United have made Harry Souttar a top target. The Hammers have expressed their interest in the Australia international. Leicester City want to sell after relegation to League 1. Wrexham, Stoke City and Sheffield United also keen on the ex-Dundee United player."
Soutter has just played every minute for Australia at the World Cup. He captained the Socceroos as they made it to the round of 32, where they lost to Egypt on penalties.
Hammers fans will be concerned with his injury record. Last season, he made just two appearances for Leicester in the Championship. He missed almost the entirety of the campaign due to an Achilles tendon rupture. However, in his first game back, he did score in a 1-1 draw with West Ham's bitter rivals, Millwall.
The rivalry with Millwall will be renewed next season for the first time since the 2011/12 campaign, when the Hammers were last in the Championship. During that season, West Ham drew 0-0 with the Lions at the Den, before defeating them 2-1 at Upton Park thanks to a strike from Winston Reid.
West Ham will need to stregthen their defence
After West Ham were relegated from the Premier League, Axel Disasi returned to his parent club, Chelsea. It is now unlikely that the Hammers will be able to sign him permanently. It also appears that Jean Clair-Todibo will be on his way out after a falling out with Nuno Espirito Santo after West Ham lost to Newcastle United on the penultimate day of last season.
Todibo did not feature in West Ham's first pre-season match against Southend United. Dinos Mavropanos scored the Hammers' equaliser in the 1-1 draw with the Shrimpers. However, he is being linked with big clubs including his former club Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayer Leverkusen.
West Ham have done well to keep captain Jarrod Bowen for next season. However, Mavropanos' future remains uncertain.
Max Kilman did start alongside Mavropanos against Southend. However, his confidence is low after a poor Premier League campaign. Kilman also does not have any Championship experience after making the jump from Maidenhead United of the National League to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Souttar does have experience of English football's second division. He has played in the division for Stoke City, Sheffield United and Leicester. He won the Championship with the Foxes in the 2024/25 season. However, he did play just three games that campaign. West Ham's goal is to make it back to the Premier League, and Souttar could be a key part in doing that if he remains fit.
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