BRENTFORD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 01: Josh Dasilva of Brentford is challenged by Stefan Johansen of Fulham during the Carabao Cup fourth round match between Brentford and Fulham at Brentford Community Stadium on October 01, 2020 in Brentford, England. Football Stadiums around United Kingdom remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Andrew Couldridge - Pool/Getty Images)
According to Daily Star, West Ham retain an interest in Brentford’s Josh Dasilva. The midfielder signed a new contract but with David Moyes looking to bring in at least one midfielder, the club could keep pursuing him.
Josh Dasilva is a 21-year-old English midfielder who plays for Championship side Brentford. He is a product of Arsenal’s youth academy, starting out for them in 2006. Until 2017, he progressed through the youth ranks and then was promoted to the U-18s.
Playing 18 games at that level, he scored and assisted 3 goals each. He was promoted to the U-23s in 2017. He did get a few more games for them (32), scored a goal and laid 5 assists for them. Before opting to not renew his contract, he did go on to make 3 appearances for the senior team and all of them were in the EFL Cup.
He signed for Brentford in 2018 and has made 75 appearances for them since. During that time, he has scored 13 goals and provided 6 assists. He has been a regular for the England youth sides and currently plays at the U-21 level, with one appearance so far.
There is a reason David Moyes is looking at midfielders like Matt Grimes, Dasilva and Ryan Manning (source – Daily Star). The club are facing a dearth of midfielders with just 5 prominent names in the middle of the park.
Add to that Mark Noble being 33 and the squad looks in dire need of a central midfielder. Josh Dasilva may be a central midfielder but he can chip in at various other positions such as defensive-midfield and right-back.
That would solve a lot of Moyes’ issues as he is targeting utility players who can fill in multiple positions based on the requirement.
West Ham should definitely look to revive their interest in Dasilva as he would solve all of their problems in one go. At 21, he has a lot of years left in him and could prove to be a very good long-term option for the club to invest in.
He may have signed a new contract but West Ham should return for him next summer regardless. He is a quality utility player and would be a great fit at the club.