West Ham United right-back Ben Johnson is out of contract at the end of the current season, which means that, as it stands, he’ll be leaving as a free agent come 1 July.
Hammers sporting director Tim Steidten is pushing to keep him at the London Stadium, but members of the club hierarchy have expressed reluctance to hold further talks after seeing the Englishman reject two offers.
Johnson may still end up staying with the Irons, but at this stage, his team have a responsibility to start assessing potential replacements, and one candidate for the role has already emerged.
West Ham “checking out” exciting Santos
According to transfer insider Dean Jones, West Ham are one of the sides “checking out” Tiago Santos at Lille as interest in the youngster grows ahead of the summer transfer window. They’re not the only Premier League side in the race, though, with Aston Villa and Spurs admirers too.
In an article for Sports Lens, Jones reports that Santos was expected to spend more time in France after his £5.5m move from Estoril last summer, but his progression up the football ladder may now be accelerated. There’s a feeling that his price tag will “take off” if he’s allowed to remain with the Ligue 1 club for too long.
West Ham have been keeping “a close eye” on talent in the French top tier and are impressed by Santos’ “skill set and potential to push himself higher”. They appear to be more sure on the Portuguese defender than Spurs, who may lean towards a more “versatile defender” instead.
“Complete” Santos has already announced himself
Santos, who’s now a Portugal under-21 international after making his debut in September, has played 28 games for Lille so far in all competitions. He’s currently enjoying a joint-season-best run of five straight league starts, and has begun 10 of the last 12 overall, so his value to the team is clearly growing.
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After opening his account for the club with a “special” strike in a 2-0 win over Lyon in late November, he got on the scoresheet again in a remarkable 12-0 win over Martinique champions Golden Lion in the French Cup last month.
Ligue 1 – most fouls drawn 23/24 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Player | Club | Tot. |
1 | Teji Savanier | Montpellier | 54 |
2 | Tiago Santos | Lille | 50 |
3 | Dilane Bakwa | Strasbourg | 49 |
4 | Romain Faivre | Lorient | 47 |
5 | Romain Del Castillo | Brest | 44 |
Described as a “complete” full-back by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Santos combines effective chance creation (he’s in the 71st percentile for expected assisted goals among right-backs) with an enthusiastic approach to defending (he’s in the 80th percentile for tackles).
His standout attribute, however, is his dribbling – he ranks 10th in the league for successful take-ons with 39 and only one player, Montpellier’s Teji Savanier, has drawn more fouls. A tricky little player, he could be a smart long-term addition for David Moyes or indeed whichever manager is in the hotseat next season.
