The latest new signing for transfer-active West Ham was Italian international defender Angelo Ogbonna, who arrived late last week on a four-year-deal from Juventus for a fee of £1om spread over three years.
New boss Slaven Bilic appears to be addressing the areas of the team that were most weak under previous boss Sam Allardyce, and has already signed an attacking midfielder in Dimitri Payet – covering a zone in which the Hammers were certainly lacking in last season.
Another area the east Londoners were short in last term was in the centre of defence, and the importance of this area of the team isn’t lost on Bilic. He said speaking about the new signing:”I am thrilled with the signing. He is a really good player and is a great defender. He was at one of the best clubs in the world with Juventus and we are really delighted he has signed for us . The expectations are big of course.
“We now have the numbers and the quality at the back. We really need the competition and strength (in the defence) which is one of the most important areas for the whole season.”
The Hammers had James Tomkins, Winston Reid and James Collins as the main first-team centre backs last season and when injuries inevitably struck the heart of the defence it cost the Hammers, as the back up was the inexperienced Reece Burke and makeshift centre-back, Cheikhou Kouyate.
Both filled in admirably, but you can’t help but feel relying on just three centre-backs is a risk, and it did ultimately cost West Ham as these injuries coincided with their poor run of form.
It is often said that a strong defence is the basis of a good team, and it seems that’s something that Bilic believes in – he ensures all of his teams are strong at the back and can keep the goals out. West Ham last season were okay defensively, but couldn’t really be considered as great or even good at the back on the whole.
Their tally of eight clean sheets is testament to that, but the signing of Ogbonna could be a bit of inspired business from the Irons’ board. The former Juventus man is finally the fourth centre-back the Hammers need for the basis of a strong central defensive area – although he’s unlikely to be at the bottom of the pecking order.
But not only that, the Italian is a significant coup as he is a top player. He has won trophies and has a real winning mentality, something which may rub off on his new team-mates, and he’s also a supremely strong defender – his main strength is his athletic nature as he is incredibly quick and can dominate strikers.
Ogbonna really is the type of player that should thrive in the Premier League, his style and approach could well fit perfectly with his potential centre-back partner, Winston Reid, who also defends in a similar aggressive fashion.
Those two as a pair may well be a formidable partnership and would be a daunting prospect for Premier League strikers, as they will deal with the attacks of the opposition in a no-nonsense fashion.
Of course there is no guarantee that the former Torino man will be first choice alongside Reid straight away, as James Tomkins will have a say on that. The Englishman is in pole position at we speak and is a good defender. Ogbonna will have to be at his best to force his way into the team.
Whilst this may not be ideal for Ogbonna it is great for West Ham. There is now competition for places in a position where there once wasn’t, which will give Bilic scope to mix things up.
It could be difficult for the former Juve man as he settles in, but what is for sure is that the Hammers won’t be exposed in the centre of their defence again.
