West Ham United are now targeting a move for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, a link that has excited former BBC radio pundit Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: West Ham target right-back

West Ham are believed 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 with a move to Bayer Leverkusen.

Given that Wan-Bissaka is out of favour at Manchester United, featuring for just four minutes in the Premier League this season, he has now emerged as a potential loan option for David Moyes, as reported by club insider ExWHUemployee earlier this week.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

When asked by Football Insider 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.

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"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 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 per 90 over the past year (97th percentile), while 2.48 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' and that is no doubt indicated by his defensive acumen, which vastly surpasses the likes of Coufal, who has averaged 1.86 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.