According to The Sunday Mirror (11/10, p73), West Ham United are interested in signing Preston North End defender Ben Davies this week.
It’s claimed that the Hammers are desperate to sign a new centre back this week, and David Moyes has a couple of options in mind ahead of Friday’s domestic deadline.
Watford’ Craig Dawson is one option, seemingly more so than Swansea City’s Joe Rodon right now, but Davies is also a player on Moyes’ wish list.
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The report notes that Moyes knows all about Davies because he has ‘strong links’ at Preston, where he was both a player and manager.
That connection saw Moyes raid Preston for Jordan Hugill in January 2018, which certainly put money in the North End coffers but didn’t particularly help West Ham as Hugill struggled to make an impression.
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Moyes will be well aware of the quality Davies possesses; he’s quick, reads the game well and can play out from the back, whilst his lack of size may make him ideal for a back three in the Premier League.
West Ham are currently using Aaron Cresswell as a left-sided centre back in Moyes’ 3-4-3 system, with the West Ham boss possibly seeing him as another option there.
North End are seeking £10million for Preston, with Sheffield United scared off according to the Sheffield Star. West Ham aren’t exactly big spenders, so we’ll now see whether Moyes can reach that kind of price tag now.
Given that Davies is out of contract at the end of the season, Preston could come under late pressure to sell him before the deadline, in what would be a huge blow for Alex Neil – but let’s hope this is just Sunday paper talk and that no move happens in the coming days.