West Ham have been offered the chance to sign New York Red Bulls defender Aaron Long, according to Sky Sports.
The broadcaster claim that the 6ft 1in tall centre-back (Source: Transfermarket) has been offered to the Hammers and state that the 26-year-old wants to play in the Premier League.
Sky Sports report that Long has a £4million release clause in his Red Bulls contract and add that he is currently wanted by Lyon as well as Fiorentina.
OPINION
The Hammers should be grabbing this chance to sign Long with both hands, as it would be a good move to make on their part. The 26-year-old, who has 11 caps for America and was named MLS Defender of the Year in 2018, seems a very capable defender and there’s a chance he could flourish in English football. Long played 45 times for the Reds Bulls in 2018, and managed to score four goals as well as assist two. In his 2018 campaign, the 26-year-old averaged a very impressive rating of 7.08 across his league outings and showed he was a force in the air by winning 2.9 aerial duels per game (Source: WhoScored). While Long’s 2019 campaign isn’t going as swimmingly, he’s only started 55% of Red Bulls’ league games so far due to an injury and international commitments (Source: Transfermarkt), he would still be a worthwhile signing. After all, despite not being in the same top-form, he has still won 5.3 aerial duels per game in his current campaign and if at the London Stadium, he’d probably help the Hammers clear any crosses that get fired into their box.
