West Ham could reportedly sell the centre-back, with the Canaries keen on adding a defender to their ranks.
Slaven Bilic could wield the axe on West Ham United defender James Collins, with the 31-year-old having slipped down the pecking order following the arrival of Angelo Ogbonna, according to the Daily Mirror.
And Norwich City want to take the centre-back off the east London side’s hands.
Indeed, the Mirror report that West Ham are willing to listen to offers for Collins as he has just one year left on his contract. Norwich boss Alex Neil is said to want at least two new signings, with one of them being a defensive reinforcement.
| 2014/15 (Per Game) | Tackles | Interceptions | Headers | Clearances | Minutes Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Tomkins | 1.41 | 1.55 | 4.59 | 9.45 | 1,852 |
| Winston Reid | 1.13 | 1.6 | 2.83 | 9.27 | 2,503 |
| James Collins | 0.89 | 2.04 | 3.85 | 10.67 | 1,879 |
| Aaron Cresswell | 0.82 | 0.87 | 1.42 | 3.89 | 3,420 |
| Carl Jenkinson | 0.81 | 1.09 | 0.69 | 3.56 | 2,667 |
As Opta stats show, Collins was bettered by both James Tomkins and Winston Reid in terms of the number of tackles he won in the Premier League last season. The West Ham centre-back did average more interceptions per game than both, however.
And the 31-year-old also won more headers per game than Reid, while making more clearances per appearance than any West Ham defender.
Ogbonna’s arrival has clearly impacted the Welshman, though, and he has found himself out of favour under Bilic so far this term. The Hammers’ loss could well end up Norwich’s gain.
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