West Ham United have enjoyed a magnificent transfer window.
The crushing departure of Declan Rice has been swiftly forgotten thanks to the arrivals of Mohammed Kudus, James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez, and Konstantinos Mavropanos.
On the pitch, it has also been smooth sailing for David Moyes’ side, who sit in the top four of the Premier League after impressively sweeping aside Chelsea and Brighton.
But after winning last season’s Europa Conference League, the club is after more success and is looking to add further reinforcements to their glimmering squad…
What’s the latest West Ham transfer news?
According to Tipsbladet, the Hammers, as well as top-flight rivals Arsenal, and Nottingham Forest are said to be battling it out for the signing of Benfica’s Alexander Bah this summer.
Read the latest West Ham transfer news HERE…
The Danish right-back is reportedly available for up to €35m (£30m) and the Hammers are supposedly leading the race for his signature.
Would Alexander Bah be a good signing for West Ham?
Bah only joined Benfica in June 2022 but has quickly established himself as one of the club’s most influential and efficient forces.
Last season, the 25-year-old made 42 appearances in all competitions – this included eight games in the Champions League in which the Portuguese outfit won six and drew two. Coincidentally, when Bah was ruled out of the quarter-finals against Inter Milan due to a knee injury, Benfica suffered defeat and was knocked out.
He also excelled domestically, averaging 1.2 key passes per game, 1.3 interceptions per game, and 2.1 tackles per game, as well as winning 56% of his duels in last term's Liga Portugal.
From a West Ham perspective, Bah embodies everything associated with the ‘modern full back’ – defensive solidity, attacking threat, and stunning athleticism.
Currently, Vladimir Coufal is Moyes' preferred right-back choice, but the Dane massively outperforms the Czech in forward metrics including xAG (expected assisted goals) per 90 (0.22 vs 0.10), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.99 vs 2.16), progressive passes per 90 (5.58 vs 3.24) and progressive carries per 90 (2.46 vs 2.03).
Since joining the London Stadium, Coufal has amassed a solid reputation for his defensive reliability, but Bah has demonstrated he can mirror this.
The nine-cap international outscores Coufal for tackles per 90 (2.81 vs 2.50) blocks per 90 (1.63 vs 1.12), and interceptions per 90 (1.63 vs 1.43).
Moreover, for all the aforementioned metrics, apart from progressive passes, Bah ranks within the best 12% outside of Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers to indicate that he’s ready to make the next step in his career.
Retired striker Danny has commented on the defender’s accomplished profile, saying:
“From what I've seen, he's a player who does all the running. He attacks and defends very well. He's fast and has a lot of quality.”
Given the evidence above, Bah looks astutely capable of being ready for Premier League football and could be a notable upgrade on Coufal.
With West Ham facing a third consecutive season of European football, Bah could instantly become a first-team starter, whilst demoting Coufal to a valuable piece of squad depth.