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da spicy bet： West Ham United are interested in signing Angers midfielder Baptiste Santamaria, per L’Equipe via Sport Witness.
What’s the word?
Santamaria made a total of 40 appearances in all competitions in 2018/19 as Angers finished 13th in Ligue 1.
A defensive midfielder, the 24-year-old scored just once throughout the campaign.
Per the aforementioned report, the Hammers have a “serious” interest in signing the player, along with Aston Villa and Fiorentina.
Angers are said to be keen to raise funds to recruit a striker and would demand around €6-8m for the star.
The report does not make it clear if any formal bids have yet been tabled, however.
A tackling machine
Per WhoScored, Santamaria averages 3.1 tackles per game in Ligue 1, along with 1.6 interceptions and 1.4 clearances.
By comparison, the Hammers’ first-choice defensive midfielder, Declan Rice, averages 2.9 tackles per game, 1.5 interceptions and 1.6 clearances.
Bringing in Santamaria for a bargain fee, then, would add some genuine steel to the club’s midfield and help to lighten the load on the England international’s shoulders.
He has never played outside of France but now could be the time, particularly following such an impressive season in terms of his defensive contribution.
At the aforementioned price tag, he’d be a snip for Manuel Pellegrini’s side and it seems that he has a high upside too, with his resale value only likely to increase under the Premier League spotlight.
This has all the makings of a very smart piece of business from the club.