West Ham are reportedly weighing up a move for Aston Villa and England defender Tyrone Mings this month – a player that Declan Rice once branded an “unbelievable” player after Mings made his Three Lions debut in 2019.
Mings, 29, has been axed as Aston Villa captain and replaced by John McGinn at Villa. Although on the surface, it appears Mings has taken Steven Gerrard’s decision well – the left-footed ace will surely be gutted to lose the armband.
Reports claim that West Ham are considering a move. Mings was recalled to Villa’s side on Saturday, and produced a wonderful display to beat Everton. Mings was at the heart of it, producing a late tackle to stop Salomon Rondon.
It is unclear how much Villa would want, and it is unlikely they would even sell him now – given the injury sustained by Diego Carlos. But if West Ham do make a move, it will go down well with Rice, who is clearly a big fan of the £25m ace.
Mings was handed his debut for England in a 6-0 win over Bulgaria back in 2019. He has since gone on to clock up 17 caps for Gareth Southgate’s side. Following his debut for the Three Lions, Rice said he was “unbelievable”.
West Ham weighing up Mings move: Rice branded player ‘unbelievable’
One thing is for sure this summer, West Ham desperately need options at centre-back. Against Nottingham Forest, they were forced to use Ben Johnson in the middle of the defence. They have three injuries in that area.
Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna and Nayef Aguerd were all out injured. Issa Diop has been sold to Fulham. So, West Ham need another body and Mings would be an excellent addition. But the chances of Villa selling look very slim.
The injury to Carlos leaves Gerrard with just Mings, Ezri Konsa and Calum Chambers at his disposal. Mings is in the final two years of his contract at Villa Park. Had Carlos been fit, Villa might have been open to a sale. But not now.
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