Why West Ham should prioritise a move for Rico Henry this summer
According to the Daily Mail, West Ham are among a host of Premier League clubs interested in securing the services of Brentford left-back Rico Henry.
Newly-promoted Premier League duo Leeds United and West Brom, as well as Brighton and Hove Albion, are all in the race to sign the 23-year-old, who was one of the best in his position in the Championship last season. (h/t Daily Mail)
The report also adds that Henry is under contract at Griffin Park until the summer of 2023, meaning Brentford are very much in a strong negotiating position to claim a significant fee for their prized asset.
Profile
Born in Birmingham, Rico Henry rose through the youth system at Walsall and impressed in League One before earning a move to Brentford in the summer of 2016.
After playing a bit-part role over the course of his first three seasons at Griffin Park, the 23-year-old eventually established himself as the first-choice left-back for the Bees last season.
The former England U20 star provided 3 assists in 49 appearances, all of them coming as starts, as Thomas Frank’s side made it all the way through to the 2019-20 Championship playoff final.
Why West Ham need him
First and foremost, Henry was one of the key cogs of a Bees backline that shipped just 38 goals in 46 Championship games, the second-best defensive record in the division behind champions Leeds United.
On the contrary, West Ham conceded as many as 62 goals in the Premier League last season, one of the worst defensive records in the top-flight. The Hammers’ lack of quality at the back was one of the key reasons why they spent most of the previous campaign in and around the relegation zone despite boasting some top-quality attacking talent in their ranks.
Aaron Cresswell started 31 games in the Premier League last season, with Arthur Masuaku playing a back-up role. But neither of them did an awful lot to stem the inflow of goals.
Both players have been a part of West Ham’s set-up for a number of seasons now but considering that neither has been consistent enough, one does get the feeling that it’s time for the Hammers to invest in a promising young left-back to groom for the future.
Stats
According to Whoscored, Henry completed 74 out of his attempted 99 tackles in the Championship last season, amounting to an impressive tackle success rate of close to 75%. Elsewhere, Cresswell managed a tackle success rate of just 65.15% (43 out of 66 tackles won) while Masuaku managed an efficiency of around 72% in that regard.
Furthermore, Cresswell and Masuaku shared only one assist between them last season while Henry contributed with 3 assists in the Championship.
Henry’s dribble success rate of 61% stands head and shoulders above Cresswell’s success rate of 32%, so the Brentford star seems capable of offering a lot more at both ends of the pitch.
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Verdict
Thus, Rico Henry clearly seems like a good option for West Ham moving forward if those numbers are anything to go by.
Regarded as a fine young player with loads of potential, the 23-year-old has already proven himself in the Championship and the Hammers could have an absolute gem on their hands if David Moyes manages to pull off a deal for the Brentford star this summer.
