West Ham are reportedly eyeing up a loan deal for ex Newcastle full back Davide Santon in the next few days to provide defensive cover.
Italian reporter Di Marzio today reported that West Ham have joined the race for Santon from Inter Milan on loan. Di Marzio does bring breaking news, and has a better reputation than most British newspapers, suggesting this is actually a possibility. Di Marzio obviously knows a fair amount about Italian football, so could have been informed by Inter Milan that the player is available. Apparently we have now joined Norwich in the race for the Italian defender.
Santon won the Champions League with Inter Milan under Jose Mourinho back in 2010. He joined Newcastle a year later and made 82 appearances in the Premier League in a mixed spell.
The Italian is still only 25, and does have a decent amount of experience in our league so could be useful cover for both Sam Byram at right back and Aaron Cresswell at left back. It is this versatility across the defence that would catch Slaven Bilic’s attention, as Jenkinson had the ability to play left back as well. An injury to Cresswell soon would leave us without a recognised left sided defender, and strength in depth is crucial as we come to the business end of the season.
The main issue with signing Santon is that he has suffered injuries throughout his career and they plagued his spell at Newcastle. Bilic will need assurances on his fitness if he is to gamble.
Realistically, we could use a full back in the next few days and because he can play on either side, Santon fits the bill. He brings experience in The Premier League and The Champions League and isn’t bad for a second choice utility defender. If he can shake off his injury problems, he could prove an astute loan signing for the rest of the season.
Reece Oxford is close to joining Charlton on loan for the rest of the season. The deal is expected to be announced soon, unless Oxford himself has anything to do with it. Oxford has tweeted an angry face, suspiciously at the same time that the story hit the internet. Maybe he doesn’t agree with the move, but this certainly wouldn’t be the way to show it.
Let’s hope it’s about something unrelated. Playing time would be useful for Oxford, and there is a lot of competition for places at West Ham at the moment.
