West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring David Raum to the London Stadium this summer.
What’s the talk?
That’s according to a recent report by The Times, who claim that, despite the reported interest of both Bayern Munich and Manchester City, Rob Newman has now entered into negotiations with TSG Hoffenheim regarding a move for the 24-year-old left-back.
The report goes on to state that, with David Moyes hoping to sign a long-term successor to Aaron Cresswell ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, the Hammers’ head of recruitment has identified the Germany international as his number one target in the position – with the Bundesliga side believed to be demanding a figure in the region of £33m in order to part with the defender this summer.
“Outstanding”
Considering just how impressive Raum was in Germany last season, the argument that the left-back would be an unbelievable signing for Newman to get over the line this summer is a rather easy one to make.
Indeed, over his 32 Bundesliga appearances in 2021/22, the £26m-rated talent was in breathtaking form for Die Kraichgauer, scoring three goals, providing 13 assists and creating 19 big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 2.7 key passes, taking 0.8 shots and completing one dribble per game.
The £6.4k-per-week full-back also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, helping his side keep four clean sheets, in addition to making an average of 1.6 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 1.1 clearances and winning 4.5 duels – at a success rate of 51% – per fixture.
These returns saw the player who Alexander Rosen dubbed “outstanding” and Jacek Kulig claimed top clubs “should be all over” this summer average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.29, not only ranking him as Andre Breitenreiter’s best performer in the league but also as the 12th-best player in German top flight as a whole.
As such, it is not difficult to see why Kulig believes that Europe’s elite clubs should be making a move for the nine-cap international ahead of the 2022/23 campaign, nor it is hard to see why Raum would make an excellent addition to Moyes’ defensive options next season, as the former Greuther Furth star is undoubtedly one of the most exciting left-backs currently playing the game.
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