West Ham United are interested in signing Mainz's Anton Stach this summer and have already scouted the midfielder, according to a recent report.
The Lowdown: West Ham eyeing a new midfielder
Given that Declan Rice is widely expected to leave the Irons at the end of the season, David Moyes is tasked with finding a suitable replacement for the England midfielder, and several such players have already been linked with moves to the London Stadium.
Kalvin Phillips was a target for the Hammers in January, with the club even making an approach to take the Manchester City ace on loan, but journalist Dean Jones has indicated that two new players will be targeted at the end of the season.
The Latest: Stach scouted by West Ham
According to a report from 90min, which was shared on Twitter by co-author Graeme Bailey, West Ham are among several English clubs to have scouted Stach at some point during 2023, with Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United doing the same.
As such, the Hammers will have to fend off plenty of competition from some of the Premier League's top brass to land the German midfielder.
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The Verdict: Get it done?
Described as 'underrated' by football scout Jacek Kulig, the 24-year-old has been very impressive for Mainz over the past year, as demonstrated by his performance compared to his positional peers in several key metrics.
The German is a confident dribbler of the ball, ranking in the 95th percentile for successful take-ons per 90 in the past year among positional peers in Europe's top five leagues. He has also shown a keen eye for cutting out opposition attacks, placing in the 94th percentile for interceptions.
This combination of attributes would appear to make him a perfect potential replacement for Rice, should the Irons captain move on in the summer, and Moyes should move swiftly to lodge a bid for the 6 foot 4 Mainz titan this summer before another Premier League club gets there first.