West Ham sporting director Mario Husillos spent the international break watching Olympiacos defender Leonardo Koutris, according to The Telegraph.
The national newspaper claim that Manuel Pellegrini has been unconvinced by Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell so has identified the position of left-back as one that he would like to strengthen.
The Telegraph report that Husillos personally attended Greece’s UEFA Nations League victory over Finland on Thursday and in that game Koutris made his first senior appearance for Greece’s national side.
The Daily Mirror also reported on the Hammers’ pursuit of the 5ft 7in tall left-back (Source: Transfermarkt) and stated that the London club were plotting a £5million move for the player in January.
OPINION
It’s been clear for a while that the Hammers would benefit from a top-quality left-back arriving, perhaps one that is more defensive-minded than Cresswell or Masuaku. Whether Koutris fits the bill is debatable but Husillos is clearly doing his homework by conducting a scouting mission for himself regarding the player. The 23-year-old has made six appearances this season and seems to have forced his way into the first-team as he has started Olympacios’ last three league games in a row. Koutris has never played his domestic football outside of Greece so it’s hard to know how he would fare in the Premier League. The left footer (Source: Transfermarkt) due to his unproven nature in English football does appear to have a very reasonable price tag as if the Hammers are plotting a £5million move, they must think it’s possible to get him for that price. While £5million is lot of money, in football terms it’s really not as it would barely get you a player excelling in the Championship, let alone one with Premier League experience. Therefore if Husillos is convinced enough by Koutris then a £5million investment may be worth taking a gamble on.
