West Ham United are reportedly closing in on a new defender.
According to Football.London, West Ham United are close to signing a teenage Portuguese defender to bolster Manuel Pellegrini’s options.
The Hammers have spent a huge chunk of their budget on playmaker Pablo Fornals and striker Sebastien Haller, meaning any more incomings will have to be savvy bargains.
Pellegrini is seemingly keen on landing another centre back, and one for the future would be ideal given that Angelo Ogbonna and Winston Reid are both 31.
It’s now claimed that West Ham are close to signing a teenage Portuguese defender, overlooking Gary Cahill and New York Red Bulls ace Aaron Long.
That means Long’s move – which would have been a ‘dream’ – according to the 26-year-old United States international (Sky Sports), appears to be off, with the Hammers looking elsewhere.
That brings us to the identity of this teenage defender. There aren’t many options that tick all the boxes, and one has been ruled out already in Porto’s Diogo Leite, which should have been obvious as he’s 20.
The same goes for Benfica’s Ferro and Porto’s Diogo Quieros, as they’re in their 20’s too. Only one name really ticks all the boxes, and that’s Boavista’s Goncalo Cardoso. Cardoso, 18, is not only touted for a bright future, but also has 15 league appearances under his belt already, and is of a good size at 6ft 2in.
He’s the kind of defender that can join the West Ham first team squad and learn from Ogbonna and Reid, but has already played a small amount of men’s football – potentially the ideal player to develop, if it really is Cardoso who will join.
There is of course a chance that West Ham go for an even less experienced player, but they’ve picked him over Cahill and Long suggests he’ll join the first team ranks, and Cardoso is the only name that really fits the bill.
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