Jonathan Tah has admitted that he is struggling at Bayer Leverkusen this season after being priced out of a £30 million move to West Ham United, as reported by Kicker.
James Tarkowski is not the only international centre-half the Hammers tried and failed to sign during a frustrating transfer window.
But while Burnley demanded a fee that the Londoners were either unwilling or unable to pay for their star stopper, it quickly became apparent that Tah was out of their financial reach too.
According to the Sun, West Ham’s board refused to pay the £30 million Leverkusen wanted for a man who has 11 caps for the German national team.
Yet Tah would be forgiven for wondering if the grass is indeed greener across the Channel after falling to third-place in Peter Bosz’s pecking order at the Bay Arena.
“Of course, I try to give 100 percent when I come (into the starting XI),” Tah said after the 4-2 win at Freiburg.
“It’s not easy for me. I want to play, I am an athlete and I always want to be on the pitch and give everything in training.”
With the experienced Sven Bender and the exceptional Edmond Tapsoba now firmly established as Bosz’s first-choice central defensive partnership, Tah has been restricted to just two Bundesliga appearances all season.
Both have come from the bench, tallying just 57 minutes.
In fact, Tah’s only start across nine games this season came in the Europa League defeat to Slavia Prague last week.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
