West Ham United are reportedly keen on a Galatasaray defender bur are they looking at the wrong one?
Luyindama, who only joined Galatasaray earlier in the summer transfer window has started off the campaign well with a few commanding performances in central defence. The 25-year-old, a full Republic of Congo international, looks like a perfect fit for the Premier League thanks to his physique but he does have his flaws technically.
Like most teams, Galatasaray too are fond of playing out from the back and Luyindama is often the player from where his side’s attack starts. The 25-year-old is brilliant with long passes and has shown to have very good vision but he has the tendency to panic under pressure.
That would be hugely detrimental in the Premier League where the opponents would pick on that weakness very quickly. Luyindama would be brilliant in a league where the pressure on the defenders is not as high as the Premier League but one player who would be a perfect fit is his partner in defence, Marcao.
The Brazilian joined the Turks back in January this year and has been an integral part of their defence having missed just three games since. Marcao has formed a brilliant partnership with Luyindama and has almost always been the better defender.
West Ham have started off the campaign with Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna in the heart of their defence with Fabian Balbuena being a brilliant backup to the duo. Marcao, who is still only 23, is a perfect long-term replacement for the ageing Ogbonna and could arguably form a stunning defensive partnership with Dip for the best part of the next decade.
Marcao would be a much better signing than Luyindama in the upcoming transfer window and could fill the void that has been consistently left by Winston Reid who hasn’t played the full 90 minutes in the Premier League since January 2018.
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