It has previously been suggested that David Moyes is planning a summer clear-out at the London Stadium, including the likes of Aaron Cresswell, Arthur Masuaku and Ryan Fredericks. The latter of that trio is reportedly also the subject of interest from Southampton, and it may be time for the Hammers to let go of the former Fulham full back.
Fredericks arrived in East London in 2018 as Manuel Pellegrini’s first signing, joining on a free transfer after his contract with Championship side Fulham expired. He had recently been named in the second tier’s team of the season before joining and has gone on to make 45 appearances for the Irons.
However, injuries have been a recurring issue for the right back which have limited his game time at the London Stadium and seen the 27-year-old miss at least 18 matches. Even with fitness issues, Fredericks has still performed admirably when he has featured for the Irons, recording three tackles per game, behind only Declan Rice in Moyes’ squad.
But, one concern is Frederick’s 0.9 interceptions per 90 minutes which suggest that he may struggle to read the game as well as defenders such as Issa Diop, who recorded 1.5 per match in the Premier League. Another area which could be improved upon is his accuracy in possession, finding a teammate with 74.1 per cent of his 31.7 passes per match, suggesting to often the right back is at fault for conceding the ball cheaply to the opposition.
Frederick’s return of three assists is his best in the Premier League, but a long way short of the seven he notched in the Championship before joining the Hammers. Considering Moyes was reportedly planning on showing the 27-year-old the exit door, it might be in West Ham’s interest to move the English defender on to Southampton and collect the profits of his sale to reinvest in another right back.
The Hammers’ right back is only valued at £3.6m (Transfermarkt), however, given that Fredericks arrived for free, any sum received by West Ham would be profit. Furthermore, Moyes could prioritise players who are younger or promote Ben Johnson, who produced some impressive displays in the final three matches of the season and could put himself in contention for the role, if the manager thinks he’s ready to make the step up.
