West Ham United boss David Moyes used to work with Rafael da Silva – the Brazilian is now reportedly being offered to Premier League clubs, could the Hammers pounce?
West Ham United have had some issues with the right-back position of late, and with Ryan Fredericks set to miss at least a month through injury, new Hammers boss David Moyes may well consider delving into the transfer market.
According to a Sky Sports report, a Premier League-winning right-back who has worked with David Moyes in the past has been made available by his club and is being “offered” to sides in the English top flight.
Lyon’s Rafael da Silva previously played for Manchester United, signing for the Old Trafford side along with his twin brother Fabio back in 2008, and during his time with the club he made 170 appearances, winning three Premier League titles and two League Cups (Transfermarkt).
The 29-year-old stuck up for Moyes during his time at Man United and praised him, being quoted by ESPN as saying in January 2014: “It is quite a big difference. We knew there would be a change. The manager had just left after 27 years. It was always going to be hard.
“We have to take the mentality David Moyes has given us and use it on the pitch. David Moyes has a strong mentality. He is doing his own job. We have to use that in a positive way.”
According to Sky Sports, Rafael – who was sold by Moyes’ successor Louis van Gaal in 2015 – has been offered to Premier League clubs “including Brighton, Crystal Palace and Southampton”, with Lyon open to selling him.
Rafael has made 129 appearances since joining Lyon for a reported £2.5million fee (The Telegraph), but has featured only seven times in Ligue 1 this season, plus once in the Champions League, having fallen behind Kenny Tete in the pecking order.
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