Report: West Ham board refused to pay £30m for 24-year-old target

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The West Ham United board refused to meet Bayer Leverkusen’s £30 million asking price for Germany international Jonathan Tah, according to The Sun.

While Davids Gold and Sullivan aren’t the most popular figures to Hammers fans at the moment, with the sale of Grady Diangana greeted by fury inside and outside the club, perhaps the club’s owners had the right idea when it came to Tah?

This may be a man with 11 caps and a host of Champions League and Europa League appearances under his belt.

However, there’s a nagging feeling Tah has plateaued in recent seasons, four years after Joachim Low handed a fresh-faced youngster his Germany debut.

He isn’t even the most highly rated central defender at Bayer Leverkusen these days. That honour goes to Edmond Tapsoba – a man three years Tah’s junior.

So while West Ham’s failure to bring in a central defender before Monday’s deadline resulted in yet more criticism being levelled at Gold and Sullivan, refusing to pay £30 million for a man who has struggled to kick on since exploding on to the scene in 2015 might prove an inspired decision.

The Guardian (deadline day live blog, 10.30am) reported Leverkusen were demanding £30 million for Tah.

And, given West Ham have a horrible track record when it comes to overpaying for targets (Felipe Anderson, Sebastian Haller), this may prove a wise move.

The Star reports West Ham could now turn to Bournemouth’s Steve Cook, a proven Premier League defender who would cost a fraction of the fee required for Tah.