West Ham United: Angelo Ogbonna now surely finished as Tosin Adarabioyo transfer news emerges

West Ham veteran Angelo Ogbonna could be finished at the London Stadium at the end of the season as the Hammers now line up a replacement in Tosin Adarabioyo.

Italian news outlet Calciomercato shared (7 February) that the East Londoners are interested in a summer move for the Fulham defender in a potential defensive rebuild at the London Stadium.

West Ham will likely be involved in a tussle with Tottenham and AC Milan to sign the 26-year-old who remains out of contract at Craven Cottage in June and are boosted by Adarabioyo’s current wages in West London which stands £46,000-a-week.

The Fulham star has emerged as a cost-effective option for the Serie A giants and his wage will also alert the attention of Tottenham and West Ham over the summer window with the defender expected to depart the Cottagers having rejected a contract renewal.

West Ham are desperately in need of a defensive rejig in the off-season with several of their key stars in the role facing uncertain futures, none other than Ogbonna.

West Ham are planning on a potential contract extension for 35-year-old big-name veteran Angelo Ogbonna, whose current deal runs out at the end of the season (Claret & Hugh, 3 January) but the club have been eyeing potential long-term replacements should he leav

Wolves captain Max Kilman, as per talkSPORT [2 January] emerged as a top target last month but his recent new contract at the Molineux Stadium and his hefty £90,000-a-wk wage package made any deal difficult to do Daily Mail (11 January, page 11).

Although, it may not be a surprise to see the Irons go back in for him over the summer.

The East Londoners have also been linked with Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah (talkSPORT, 9 January) and young Peterborough defender Ronnie Edwards (Mail on Sunday, 7 January, page 100).

Adarabioyo for Ogbonna the perfect solution for Moyes

However, Adarabioyo has now emerged as the most astute option which could well see the end of Ogbonna at the London Stadium come May.

The former Juventus defender has proven an absolute stalwart whenever he’s been called upon by David Moyes in the past but clearly isn’t up to the required level to perform amongst the elite any longer.

Moyes will need to refresh the position in the summer and Adarabioyo represents an astute option given his age, profile, current abilities and his relatively low wages in comparison to everyone else on the Hammers’ books.

Not only that, but the Fulham defender has exerted tremendous qualities that are sure to have a number of Europe’s elite clamouring for his signature.

The Fulham ace ranks highly across some key defensive metrics over the past year, placing in the 76th percentile for aerials won per 90, when compared to his positional peers, and the 99th percentile for the number of clearances he has made.

Despite his limited minutes under Marco Silva this season, he’s mightily impressed when given the opportunity. In their recent EFL Cup semi-final defeat to Liverpool, Adarabioyo was at his brilliant best up against Darwin Nunez and co.

As per SofaScore, the 26-year-old won six of his seven duels at an impressive success rate of 85 per cent, won 83 per cent of his aerial duels, successfully completed 100 per cent of his dribble attempts, recorded a pass success rate of 81 per cent from 91 touches and also recorded five clearances in a picture-perfect display.

Adarabioyo certainly knows how to mix it with the best teams on the land and he certainly won’t be out of place were he to make the move to East London. He is a no-brainer replacement for the fast-waning Ogbonna.

In other West Ham news, a Hammers exit deal broke down after an offer was made, with a manager rejection detailed.

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