West Ham United are hoping that young defenders Goncalo Cardoso and Jamal Baptiste will force their way into David Moyes’ first-team plans in the next few months, as reported by The Athletic.
While Angelo Ogbonna and Fabian Balbuena have confounded expectations to forge one of the Premier League’s most reliable centre-back partnerships, the future also looks bright at the London Stadium.
17-year-old Baptiste is highly-regarded in the East End and signed his first ever professional contract recently after featuring regularly for the club’s U23s.
Ricky Martin, West Ham’s youth coach, admitted in November that Moyes had spoken to the teenager, having taken an interest in his impressive rise behind the scenes.
Cardoso, meanwhile, moved to London in 2019 in a £2.5 million deal from Boavista (Football London).
The former Portugal U19 star has captained the Hammers’ reserve side on occasions, taking up a leadership position as he bids to make the step up to the next level.
The Athletic believe that Cardoso and Baptiste could have a role to play at senior level sooner rather than later, with the young defenders hoping to force their way into Moyes’ plans.
The report also backs up claims that West Ham are interested in signing Danish defender Frederik Alves Ibsen from Silkeborg.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
