Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has questioned West Ham United over their reported transfer links to Michael Keane. 

The Lowdown: Keane linked with West Ham

In April, it was reported that the Hammers were interested in signing the Everton defender during the subsequent summer transfer window if the Toffees were to be relegated from the Premier League, with neither of those scenarios ultimately materialising.

More recently, it has been claimed that current West Ham defender Craig Dawson is looking to exit the east London club in January.

With the winter market fast approaching, the possibility of seeing Keane come in for Dawson has not gone down well with Robinson.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Spurs goalkeeper had his say about Dawson's potential exit and the possibility of West Ham looking to replace him with the Everton centre-back.

The 43-year-old said: "West Ham cannot afford to lose Dawson and not replace him. They would have to get someone else in.

"Michael Keane is a name that is always mentioned with West Ham but I think there is question marks over him. He is error prone at times.

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"I played with him at Burnley and he is a confidence player. He is extremely good when he is confident. When he is questioning himself, he does not excel. He is a top player when he’s at his best. He is not at his best right now though.

"If West Ham lose Craig Dawson, they need a replacement. They have been light in that area at times. Is Keane the answer? I’m not sure."

 

The Verdict: West Ham must sign a defender

Having only made three appearances for Everton this season, the fact that Keane has struggled for consistent playing time doesn't suggest that he'd be good enough to play regularly for West Ham.

However, with January in mind and if Dawson were to leave, this and the long-term absence of Kurt Zouma after recently having surgery on a knee injury ought to make the signing of a new defender a top priority for the Hammers.

That said, in terms of a potential swoop for Keane, the fact that he has been criticised for his performances in the past is not likely to make a move for him a particular popular one with the West Ham faithful, so Robinson's reservations are understandable.