Why West Ham should go all out to sign Matty Cash
According to The Athletic (h/t Daily Mail), West Ham have been linked with a move for Nottingham Forest star Matty Cash.
The 23-year-old has been a real revelation for the promotion-chasing Reds at right-back in the Championship this season, registering 2 goals and 4 assists in 27 appearances so far.
A youth exponent of Nottingham Forest, Cash impressed as a versatile midfielder during his first three seasons at the City Ground but he has been utilized as a right-back by Sabri Lamouchi to cover for injuries to Carl Jenkinson and Tendayi Darikwa.
The report (h/t Daily Mail) claims that Italian giants AC Milan have made a surprise £15million offer for the player, who has a contract at the City Ground until 2023. The report adds that Forest are under no financial pressure to cash in on their prized academy graduate.
The Slough-born star, who enjoyed a senior breakthrough at Forest during the 2016-17 season after serving a loan spell at Dagenham and Redbridge in the League Two, has clocked up a total of 126 appearances for the Reds in all competitions so far, accumulating 12 goals and 14 assists.
Meanwhile, a 4-1 humiliation at the hands of Leicester City on Wednesday night dealt yet another blow to West Ham’s hopes of beating the drop in the Premier League.
The Hammers are currently placed 17th in the standings, just above Bournemouth in the relegation zone on goal difference.
The injury to star winger Felipe Anderson has only worsened things. Truth be told, the Hammers’ tally of 27 goals scored and 38 conceded in 23 games indicates that the squad has problems on both ends of the pitch.
The right-back department has been a problematic position for the Hammers over the past 18 months. Despite being a regular fixture in the playing XI in the first half of the season, Ryan Fredericks struggled to achieve the desired level of consistency.
Pablo Zabaleta’s lack of pace and sharpness was badly exposed against the lightning pace of Harvey Barnes in West Ham’s 4-1 defeat in the midweek game. The Argentine, who will be out of contract at the end of the season, struggled to cope with the youngster, who starred with a goal and an assist in a comprehensive victory for the Foxes.
Verdict
With Fredericks struggling to prove his worth and Zabaleta nearing his swansong, West Ham need some investment in the right-back slot.
Meanwhile, Matty Cash has excelled as a right-back in the Championship this season. As per Whoscored, Cash has averaged 2 aerial duels, 3 tackles, 1.4 interceptions, 2.9 clearances, 1.1 key passes, 1 dribble, 0.9 crosses and 1.8 long balls per game in the Championship this season.
With Carlos Sanchez a peripheral figure and Pablo Fornals struggling to acclimatize to life in England, the Hammers only have Declan Rice and Mark Noble as genuine options in the middle. A versatile player like Cash would provide David Moyes with valuable cover in multiple positions.
To conclude, West Ham breaking the bank to sign him before the January deadline would be a smart long-term investment.
