West Ham submit bid to sign “physical” defender who’d send Kilman packing

The optimism that was building at West Ham United was demolished in just 45 minutes on Saturday evening.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side went to Chelsea with two wins from their last two Premier League games, and with them leading at half-time, it looked like they’d make it three from three.

Yet the hosts fought back to claim an unlikely win in the second half, further damaging the Hammers’ survival hopes.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom as West Ham have made the most of the transfer window so far and now appear intent on adding a defender to the side who’d be a huge upgrade on Max Kilman.

West Ham target Kilman upgrade

To say that West Ham United have been busy in the winter transfer window this year would be quite the understatement.

On top of selling the wantaway Lucas Paqueta to Flamengo, the Hammers have brought in four attackers.

The most recent addition has been Premier League veteran Adama Traoré, who might lack end-product but is more than capable of making an impact.

However, while bolstering the attack makes sense, the Irons also need to improve their defence.

Fortunately, it appears they are planning to do just that and are going after someone who’d send Kilman packing.

At least that is according to a recent report from Spain, which claims that West Ham are interested in Natan.

In fact, the report goes further than that, revealing that the Hammers have already submitted an offer for the Brazilian centre-back.

According to the report, the East Londoners proposed taking the player on loan for €3m and then paying €33m to sign him in the summer, for a final price of €36m, or £31m.

However, this offer was rejected by Real Betis, who are still willing to sell, but for a higher price.

This could therefore be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Natan’s ability, it’s one West Ham should fight for, especially as he’d send Kilman packing.

Why Natan would send Kilman packing

Now, Natan might not be a particularly well-known player in England, but he has got some impressive experience under his belt.

For example, on top of amassing 122 senior appearances during his time in Brazil, the 24-year-old has also made 21 appearances for Italian giants Napoli and, as things stand, has made 80 appearances for Real Betis.

Moreover, while it’s becoming increasingly clear that Nuno does not rate Kilman, as evidenced by his starting just one of the club’s last five league games, the Betis ace has been key to his side this year.

For example, he has made 28 appearances across all competitions this season, all of which have been starts, which is not only impressive but suggests he’s physically able to cope with an intense schedule.

Okay, what about their underlying numbers, then? It’s clear that the Brazilian is the more trusted player, but are his statistics more impressive?

Unsurprisingly, the “physical” monster, as dubbed by analyst-turned-scout Ben Mattinson, does in fact look much better here.

For example, he does better across most relevant metrics, including duels won, aerial duels won, clearances, recoveries, interceptions, successful passes, and more, all per 90.

In other words, the former Napoli star is a defender who is not only better at the ball-playing side of the game, but also at the more old-fashioned side.

Therefore, while it won’t be cheap, West Ham should do what they can to sign Natan before the window slams shut, as he’d be a clear upgrade on Kilman.

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