The West Ham United fans in the Transfer Tavern are intrigued by recent reports which have linked their club with a move for Man City’s Brahim Diaz.
According to a recent report from The Sun, West Ham are interested in signing Brahim Diaz this summer on a season-long loan following the news that Manuel Lanzini will be sidelined for the majority of the season with a cruciate ligament injury. The news regarding Lanzini’s injury has hit the Hammers hard as the Argentine is undoubtedly one of their key sources of flair and creativity, so replacing him must be regarded as something of a priority in the coming weeks.
Diaz possesses huge potential to grow into a fantastic Premier League talent in the years to come, but he is lacking both the experience and the quality to cover for Lanzini at just 18-years-old. City’s wonderkid showed flashes of brilliance when he was called upon by Guardiola last season, but his decision-making was clearly lacking somewhat.
The only way Diaz will be able to improve his decision-making is through exposure to first-team football, although his development would best be served if he took a step down to the Championship with Leeds United.
The Championship should give Diaz the platform to express his creative abilities by dribbling at the heart of defences with his low-centre of gravity and close control, and his quality in this regard would boost the Whites’ hopes of returning to the top-flight next season.
Leeds United were certainly not blunt in attack last season, but they were far from expansive and would benefit from the arrival of a player of Diaz’s calibre to bolster their options in attacking midfield.
With almost no exposure at the top level there will certainly be legitimate cause for scepticism if Leeds eventually sign Diaz on a season-long loan, but Guardiola’s decision to use him sparingly in the first-team last season serves to prove how highly the teenager is regarded, so a transfer to a promotion-hopeful such as Leeds United should be in the best interests of all-parties concerned.
Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!
