West Ham United have expressed an interest in signing Sporting CP centre-back Tiago Djalo, according to O Jogo.
The Portuguese news outlet reports on their website that the Hammers share an interest in the 18-year-old alongside Premier League rivals Manchester City and Serie A outfit Lazio.
The 6ft 3in [Transfermarkt] colossus is involved in a contract stand-off with the Liga NOS club at the moment, meaning he has not starred for the club’s under-23 side since 11 December – however, the report adds that Sporting are willing to negotiate.
OPINION
It remains to be seen just why West Ham are expressing an interest in signing this centre-back. There is no denying that he is a young player full of talent and promise, but at the moment, the Irons do not need another centre-back amongst their ranks. With Issa Diop, Fabian Balbuena and Angelo Ogbonna to call upon, the need to have another one on the books should not be paramount at the moment. Midfield is the one area that they should be focusing on, along with perhaps signing a full-back. Besides, when you have a club like Manchester City rivalling you for a young player, the likelihood of signing said player would become very slim. However, depending on how accurate this report is, West Ham are looking for the wrong position. They need to reinforce in the midfield, where their money would definitely be better spent. The club would be throwing cash down the drain by signing Djalo – after all, he has not even played for Sporting’s under-23 side since 11 December.
