West Ham United has made the headlines this week as the club nears the completion of signing James Ward-Prowse and Harry Maguire, as per the Guardian.
The latter is set to be signed from Manchester United for around £30m, with David Moyes leading the charge to sign the Englishman.
Another defensive target that has been linked to the London Stadium in recent weeks is Perr Schuurs.
What’s the latest on Perr Schuurs to West Ham?
According to Calciomercato.com, an offer of €40m (£34m) would be for Torino to sanction his exit.
Alongside the Hammers, Crystal Palace and Liverpool are also keenly tracking the centre-back, who could be set to leave Italy this summer.
Would Perr Schuurs be a good signing for West Ham?
Last season, across 30 appearances for Torino, Schuurs managed 88% pass accuracy, averaged 3.2 clearances and 1.7 tackles per game, won over half of his duels, and didn’t make any errors leading to a shot or a goal.
Moreover, the Dutch, labelled as “dominant” by journalist Josh Bunting, also ranks impressively across the continent, sitting within the best 20% for tackles per 90, as well as the highest 19% for successful take-ons per 90.
The 6 foot 3 titan has previously been described as a “great Dutch talent” by Marc Overmars and after spending five years playing for Ajax and Torino, he looks ready to make the next step in his career.
Meanwhile, after building up a commendable reputation at Leicester City that eventually prompted Man United to spend £80m has unravelled into disaster.
Since Erik ten Hag’s arrival, the Englishman has fallen behind in the pecking order to Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, and Victor Lindelof, with the manager even opting to play Luke Shaw as a centre-back on eleven occasions.
It is a damning indictment of how Maguire’s reputation has brutally crumbled and the decision to strip the underperforming defender of captaincy, in favour of the indomitable Bruno Fernandes, is indicative of his sudden decline.
Former Premier League player Paul Parker underlined the 30-year-old’s poor form earlier in the year, saying:
"Harry Maguire is not able to hold a line. He can’t do that. He wants to defend deep, which is why he ideally should move to a club that is playing with a deep line. Of course, he can't play for a club in the top 10. He might be able to play for one of the teams below that if they are defending deep. He can’t play for a progressive team.”
Parker’s point is particularly relevant to this debate as Moyes and ten Hag have vastly different philosophies, and with less pressure to play out from the back and occupying a deeper line, Maguire could be far more suited to East London.
However, in English football, he has been so regularly scrutinised that every mistake he makes is heightened to the maximum.
After winning the Europa Conference League in June, West Ham will compete in European football for a third consecutive season, and tasking Maguire with performing consistently on multiple fronts for a team looking to get back into the top half is a questionable strategy.
In Schuurs, the Irons could rely upon a more dynamic, composed, and confident asset, who comes to the Premier League with a fresh and exciting slate.