Back page It was a quiet start to the summer transfer window for West Ham United.
The departure of Declan Rice for £100 million was expected, with James Ward-Prowse seeming to be the replacement for the new Arsenal midfielder.
Now, following a slow start to the window, the Hammers look to be making their moves ahead of their third consecutive campaign in Europe.
Konstantinos Mavropanos of VfB Stuttgart and Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus seem to be heading for a move to the London Stadium, but what can West Ham fans expect from these potential new additions?
Konstantinos Mavropanos
Mavropanos has been heavily linked with a move to East London in recent weeks. The deal materialised after Harry Maguire’s potential transfer collapsed, a blessing in disguise perhaps?
Formerly of Arsenal, the 25-year-old only made seven first-team appearances in a four-year spell there.
In search of regular first-team action, Mavropanos went on loan to FC Nürnberg and Stuttgart and it was with the latter that he impressed.
The Greek international spent two seasons at the MHPArena and the deal was made a permanent one in May 2022 after Stuttgart avoided relegation, triggering a purchase option in his contract.
In 28 Bundesliga appearances last term, Mavropanos shone defensively – making 2.5 interceptions, 3.4 aerial duels and 1.5 blocks per 90, according to FBref.
Additionally, and maybe the most surprisingly, the centre-back is very good in the final third. He made two touches in the opposition penalty area and made five progressive passes per 90.
Also of note, he scored on two occasions and made 1.3 progressive carries in the process.
He could be a very shrewd acquisition for the Hammers and it looks like Director of Football Tim Steidten has pursued this deal, despite manager David Moyes reportedly wanting to sign Maguire.
Mohammed Kudus
A surprising move considering the number of clubs who have previously been linked with him, Sky Sports News reported that Steidten flew out to Amsterdam to conclude talks with Kudus.
With Lucas Paquetá potentially heading to Manchester City, West Ham appear to have selected Kudus as his replacement.
The 23-year-old was heavily linked with a potential switch to Brighton & Hove Albion this summer and The Athletic reported that they had reached an agreement in principle with Ajax for a £34.5 million transfer. With West Ham’s interest, his transfer to East Sussex seems to be off.
The Ghanaian joined Ajax in 2020 from Danish side Nordsjælland. He wasn’t a regular in his first two seasons, making a combined 33 Eredivisie appearances.
It was last season however where he featured on a much regular basis, he played on 30 occasions in the Dutch top-flight and scoring 11 and assisting three.
It wasn’t just his goalscoring numbers that were impressive last term.
Kudus made 4.6 successful take-ons per 90 as well as having an 85% pass completion rate. He also scored 0.6 non-penalty goals having made 3.6 shots per 90, according to FBref.
Kudus predominantly plays on the right but he is versatile and can play as an attacking midfielder or as a striker.
With Michael Olise signing a new contract at Crystal Palace, Chelsea are said to be interested in hijacking Kudus’ transfer to West Ham.
However, a deal to the London Stadium seems likely, and would be a major coup for the Hammers.
