According to the Daily Mail, West Ham have been credited with an interest in Getafe centre-back Djene Dakonam, who could be available for as little as £10million this summer.
Premier League rivals Leicester City are also in the race to sign the 28-year-old, who guided Getafe to an 8th place finish in the La Liga last season and also caught the eye in the UEFA Europa League. (h/t Daily Mail)
As per the report, Dakonam has long been on the radar of Premier League giants Arsenal and Tottenham but the North London clubs have been put off in the past by the defender’s £36million release clause. However, Getafe are willing to slash their asking price for the Togo international this summer, having suffered heavy losses due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Djene Dakonam graduated from the youth ranks of Etoile Filante in his native Togo before going on to feature for the likes of Tonnerre d’Abomey in Benin and Coton Sport in Cameroon. His impressive rise in Africa earned him a move to Spanish second-tier club Alcorcon in 2014.
Having caught the eye in the Segunda Division, the 28-year-old was snapped up by Belgian club Sint-Truidense before he returned to Spain with La Liga club Getafe in the summer of 2017.
Dakonam has since established himself as one of the top central defenders in Spain, registering 116 appearances for Getafe in all competitions. The Togo international also featured in the 2018-19 La Liga Team of the Year before earning widespread acclaim for his displays en route to the club’s march to the last-16 of the Europa League last term.
West Ham found themselves bouncing in and around the relegation zone for large quarters of the previous campaign. However, with luck on their side and a few results going their way towards the back end of the season, the Hammers somehow dragged themselves to safety.
Lack of stability at the back was one of the major contributing factors behind West Ham’s lacklustre 2019-20 campaign in the Premier League. David Moyes’ side shipped as many as 62 league goals, which was the fourth-worst defensive record in the entire division.
Hence, it goes without saying that the Hammers need to shore up their porous and vulnerable backline with some quality signings before the deadline to ensure a smoother sail in the top-flight this season.
Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna did a decent job as the club’s first-choice central defensive pairing last term but the latter isn’t getting any younger at 32. And Fabian Balbuena was rarely used in the Premier League following the restart in June.
Winston Reid, 32, hasn’t really been in the first-team fold at West Ham for a very long time and is currently out on loan at Kansas City in the MLS. To that end, West Ham completing a cut-price swoop for Djene Dakonam could work wonders for their ailing backline ahead of the upcoming campaign.
The Togo international has considerable experience with Getafe in the La Liga while his sparkling displays over the past couple of seasons suggest that he is more than capable of making an instant impact in the Premier League.
Standing at 5ft 10in, Dakonam may not be a towering presence but that shouldn’t be a cause of concern for the Hammers. Ogbonna and Diop are a lot taller, meaning the 28-year-old can dovetail either of them at the heart of the defence to good effect.
Truth be told, £10million isn’t an awful lot for any top club in the Premier League even in the post-pandemic market. It’s hard to find top-quality players at a knockdown price in the ever-inflating market these days. This is why the imminent availability of Djene Dakonam on a cut-price deal presents an excellent market opportunity for West Ham to strengthen their defence.
The 28-year-old still several years remaining in his prime and the Hammers should go all out in their pursuit of the La Liga star if he is, indeed, available at the quoted price.