---
title: "West Ham: Hammers eye up January move for Niklas Stark"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/west-ham-hammers-eye-up-january-move-for-niklas-stark/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Henry Jackson"
section: "Premier League"
published: "2021-11-20T07:40:20Z"
modified: "2021-11-20T07:40:20Z"
---

# West Ham: Hammers eye up January move for Niklas Stark

**West Ham are reportedly interested in signing Hertha Berlin defender Niklas Stark in the January transfer window, following Angelo Ogbonna’s injury.**

### The Lowdown: Ogbonna suffers serious injury

The Hammers are absolutely flying at the moment, sitting third in the Premier League and still revelling in the 3-2 win at home to Liverpool.

[West Ham developments](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-developments-2/)

Unfortunately, Ogbonna suffered a potentially season-ending injury in that game, having damaged his cruciate ligament in the first half.

The Italian could be a huge loss for West Ham, considering he has [started all 11 league games](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/23547/Show/Angelo-Ogbonna) so far this season.

\[freshpress-poll id=”378392″\]

### The Latest: Stark linked with move

According to [*The Daily Mail*](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10220903/West-Ham-keeping-eye-Hertha-Berlin-centre-Niklas-Stark.html), the Hammers are interested in signing Stark in January, with David Moyes seeing him as a possible Ogbonna replacement.

The 26-year-old, who can also play in defensive midfield, has [started 10](https://www.whoscored.com/Players/124597/Show/Niklas-Stark) of Hertha’s 11 Bundesliga matches this season, as well as [winning two caps](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/niklas-stark/profil/spieler/162434) for Germany.

\[freshpress-quiz id=”375613″\]

### The Verdict: Shrewd January addition

This looks like a sensible piece of transfer business, with Stark possessing enough experience to come and help fill the Ogbonna-shaped void.

His current Hertha deal [expires](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/niklas-stark/profil/spieler/162434) next summer, meaning January is the last chance to receive a fee for him and the club could be willing to sell, while the 6 foot 3 colossus is in great form at the moment, leading his side in both [clearances and blocks per game](https://www.whoscored.com/Teams/47/Show/Germany-Hertha-Berlin).

He is a bit of a beast in the tackle, racking up a remarkable ten successful challenges out of 11 attempted in his last Bundesliga showing, per the German top flight’s [official](https://www.bundesliga.com/en/bundesliga/player/niklas-stark) stats.

Stark’s aforementioned versatility is an added bonus, too, providing Moyes with more squad depth in a couple of areas of the pitch.

***In other news, a journalist has provided a West Ham transfer update. Read more [here](https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/west-ham-transfer-rumours/west-ham-united-journalist-shares-promising-adam-hlozek-update/).***