West Ham let the likes of Thilo Kehrer, Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna depart the club before the start of the season.
Despite bringing in Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo as replacements, the Londoners are still continuing to scour the market for free agents and talkSPORT has reported that the Hammers are in ‘shock talks’ to sign Joel Matip.
The centre-back is a free agent after leaving Liverpool when his contract expired in June and he’s still without an employer after failing to secure a move over the summer.
In his prime, Matip was a fabulous central defender and was a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s setup which won the Premier League and Champions League amongst other domestic accolades as well as two second placed finishes in the European Cup and English top-flight.
Julen Lopetegui could do with some experienced options in a relatively young backline and with that in mind, Matip has been identified as a potential target ahead of the Premier League’s registration deadline of September 13th.
Matip would be useful but Hummels should be the priority
Joel Matip, 33, is two years younger than Mats Hummels, another player who is reportedly on West Ham’s radar as a possible free signing.
It goes without saying that the former Liverpool centre-back would be a good signing for Lopetegui but it is arguable whether or not he would add more utility to the Hammers as compared to Hummels.
While Hummels guided Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League runners-up position with an outstanding display in the last four, Matip’s involvement in his final season at Liverpool was limited to a meagre 14 appearances in all competitions.
In addition to that, the ex-Premier League star’s fitness record also does not provide for good reading as he has endured his fair share of injury issues right from his days as a Schalke player.
It remains to be seen who Julen Lopetegui prefers from a tactical standpoint though as things stand, the door at London Stadium is not closed on either Matip or Hummels.
