---
title: "West Ham: Noel Whelan reacts to Aaron Wan-Bissaka links"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/west-ham-aaron-wan-bissaka-transfer-news/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Dominic Lund"
section: "Premier League News"
published: "2022-12-14T14:35:20Z"
modified: "2022-12-14T14:35:20Z"
---

# West Ham: Noel Whelan reacts to Aaron Wan-Bissaka links

**[West Ham United](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/west-ham-news/) are now targeting a move for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, a link that has excited [former BBC radio pundit](https://icdb.tv/stats/4247/Noel-Whelan) Noel Whelan.**

### The Lowdown: West Ham target right-back

West Ham are[believed](https://www.claretandhugh.info/moyes-draws-up-replacement-plans/) to be drawing up plans to bring a new right-back to the London Stadium, due to concerns over the performances of Ben Johnson and Thilo Kehrer, while Vladimir Coufal has been [linked](https://sport.sky.de/fussball/artikel/bayer-leverkusen-transfer-vladimir-coufal-von-west-ham-im-visier/12741095/33895) with a move to Bayer Leverkusen.

Given that Wan-Bissaka is out of favour at Manchester United, featuring for just [four](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/aaron-wan-bissaka/leistungsdaten/spieler/477758) minutes in the Premier League this season, he has now emerged as a potential loan option for David Moyes, as [reported](https://www.patreon.com/posts/twhw-podcast-2-s-75826659?utm_medium=post_notification_email&utm_source=post_link&utm_campaign=patron_engagement&token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWRpc19rZXkiOiJpYTozZGExYjRlNS1kMzc0LTRmMWQtYmY5OC00NDc5NmIxOWFkZmEiLCJwb3N0X2lkIjo3NTgyNjY1OSwicGF0cm9uX2lkIjo0NTE1MzMzOH0.7rEmAJvKUD86jDcMEKz7b_cbyn3bNgLxozlTEt7_mZU) by club insider ExWHUemployee earlier this week.

### The Latest: Whelan reacts

When asked by [Football Insider](https://www.footballinsider247.com/west-ham-told-to-seal-loan-to-buy-aaron-wan-bissaka-deal-after-insiders-update-pundit/) whether a move to the Hammers would interest the 25-year-old, Whelan said:

*“There’s no doubt, he’s not in the plans of Ten Hag.*

[West Ham latest news!](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-news-5/)

*“I don’t think he fits into the style of play at Man United. He lacks that bit of a cutting edge in the final third.*

*“But defensively, I’ve not seen too many people beat him in a one-v-one. He’s got a lot to offer a club like West Ham.*

*“We know he’s a London boy, he came through at Crystal Palace – so he wouldn’t be too far from home.*

*“I think it’d be a great deal for all parties, and he’d be a solid buy for West Ham if they can sort out a loan-to-buy deal.*

*“He’s not done an awful lot wrong at Man United, he just doesn’t give you that bit of quality in the final third that Ten Hag is looking for.”*

### The Verdict: Get it done?

While Whelan is right to point out that the Englishman’s attacking attributes are limited, as exhibited by his [zero](https://fbref.com/en/players/9e525177/Aaron-Wan-Bissaka) assists in the past year, he could be more tactically well-suited to West Ham, where he would not be expected to push forward in the same way.

If given a strictly defensive focus, the former Crystal Palace man would be a serious upgrade at right-back, displaying his tackling abilities with an average of [3.03](https://fbref.com/en/players/9e525177/Aaron-Wan-Bissaka) per 90 over the past year (97th percentile), while [2.48](https://fbref.com/en/players/9e525177/Aaron-Wan-Bissaka) interceptions over the same timeframe puts him in the 99th percentile compared to his positional peers.

Football reporter Charlotte Duncker has previously claimed that the enforcer is ‘[exceptional](https://twitter.com/CharDuncker/status/1318656929103859714?s=20&t=sQPDoSfjF9Q0a7ujpg19kQ)‘ and that is no doubt indicated by his defensive acumen, which vastly surpasses the likes of Coufal, who has averaged [1.86](https://fbref.com/en/players/fdf3cb77/Vladimir-Coufal) tackles per 90 in the same time period.

A move back to London is likely to be very appealing for Wan-Bissaka, and West Ham should prioritise his signing in the January window.