West Ham United's season is in danger of fizzing out in the final stretch, with successive 2-0 defeats against Bayer Leverkusen and Fulham wrecking standings in both the Europa League and Premier League.
Admittedly, David Moyes' side put in a shift and a half against Xabi Alonso's unstoppable Bundesliga champions and will be sanguine in their efforts in the return leg on Thursday, but losing to the Cottagers in the top-flight has seen the Hammers fall to eighth-place, outside the Europe-qualifying zone.
Crystal Palace (A)
21/04/24
14th
Liverpool (H)
27/04/24
3rd
Chelsea (A)
05/05/24
9th
Luton Town (H)
11/05/24
18th
Manchester City (A)
19/05/24
1st
Kurt Zouma was rested on Sunday and this proved to be a fatal mistake; quite simply, West Ham are lacking in reliability and solidity in central defence and this needs to be rectified during the summer.
West Ham's transfer plans
It's still unclear whether Moyes will be at the helm next season, out of contract in the summer but claiming he has been offered fresh terms, but focus will undoubtedly centre on replenishing the backline.
And according to The Independent's Miguel Delaney – via Caught Offside – West Ham are hoping to land Fulham centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer this summer, with the 6 foot 5 titan out of contract at Craven Cottage at the end of the campaign.
However, TEAMtalk claim that the 26-year-old is attracting interest from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, so West Ham will need to act with conviction to convince him to move to east London.
Why West Ham are interested in Tosin Adarabioyo
If last weekend's clash between West Ham and Fulham was an audition for the 26-year-old Adarabioyo, he passed with flying colours, having kept a deserved clean sheet, taking 59 touches, completing 87% of his passes, winning three of six duels, making one tackle and – wait for it – making ten clearances, as per Sofascore.
Ten clearances. That's quite a shift. This level of robustness would only serve to improve a West Ham defence that has struggled to impress this season, with the 58 top-flight goals conceded the joint-highest of any side above the dreaded dotted line.
Fulham, by comparison, have conceded 51 goals, with Adarabioyo keeping six clean sheets from 19 appearances, completing 85% and winning 63% of his contested duels.
Not only does he surpass Zouma in possession and duels – the Irons captain has completed 83% of his passes and won 55% of his duels – but he's also averaging 70 touches a game to Zouma's 45 per game, denoting his ball-playing proclivity and willingness to sit in the thick of the action, a fulcrum from the rearguard.
As per FBref, the £40k-per-week ace ranks among the top 20% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 10% for touches in the attacking penalty area, the top 8% for clearances and the top 10% for aerial duels won per 90.
Like Zouma, Adarabioyo is a menace at both ends and offers similar traits – Zouma ranks among the top 14% of positional peers for goals and the top 8% for clearances per 90 – but he's crisper on the ball, more active and energetic in his movements and more dominant in the air.
Described as a "special player" by Fulham boss Marco Silva, the one-time Manchester City youth product must be signed, especially on a free. While it's unlikely that he would displace Zouma, he could be a formidable partner to leapfrog struggling defenders Nayef Aguerd and Konstantinos Mavropanos.
The latter, a £19m summer signing from Stuttgart, has fallen by the wayside recently and illustrated this recent struggle with a 3/10 match rating from the Evening Standard's Malik Ouzia after making an abject error to set Fulham up for their opening goal.
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True enough, one match doesn't define a player but Mavropanos is not providing the command and composure requisite for the success that West Ham envisage: a lasting position of prosperity at the forefront of domestic and continental football.
Adarabioyo might just instil the stability and resolve to cement a base for Moyes' side next season, and he must be signed.
