West Ham United have added highly rated Coventry City centre-back Bobby Thomas to their list of centre-back targets this January, according to The Daily Mail.
Signed from Burnley in the summer of 2023 after loan spells at Bristol Rovers and Barnsley, the 24-year-old has quickly established himself in the ongoing campaign.
Thomas has been an important figure in Frank Lampard’s Midlands side, making 22 appearances for the Championship leaders. He has been absent for just four games during Coventry’s impressive pursuit of Premier League promotion, where they now hold a six-point cushion with 20 matches remaining, although his momentum was recently halted by a red card in the 3–2 defeat at Birmingham City.
According to the Daily Mail, West Ham have added the Englishman to their shortlist of centre-back targets for the ongoing winter transfer window.
The 6ft 1in centre-back’s performances at the West Midlands have been closely watched by scouts from West Ham as well as other Premier League clubs, including Everton, where he had a brief stint, according to the report.
The Daily Mail adds that the East Londoners also hold an interest in Newcastle United’s Jamaal Lascelles and former Chelsea academy star Bright Arrey-Mbi, currently on the books of Sporting Braga, while they still remain keen on Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell, who Wolfsburg also wants.
Ball-playing centre-back
West Ham have invested heavily in their defence across recent windows. Yet, many of those signings, especially big-money arrivals like Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo, have not lived up to expectations, with 43 goals conceded, prompting the Hammers to search for other reliable options.
Thomas is a modern-day ball-playing centre-back who suits a possession-based system or a team that utilises a lot of counters and transitions during games.
The Englishman has made 1505 touches and recorded 951 completed passes at an 81.4% success rate while also taking 56 accurate long balls playing from centre-back. More impressively, his outstanding passing ability from deep has created 20 chances for Coventry this season, according to Fotmob.
In the defensive phase, he has won 129 ground duels and 85 aerial duels while also making 86 recoveries and 18 interceptions, traits that would prove pivotal to stabilising Nuno’s backline if he joins.
However, with one year left on his contract, it’ll be interesting to see if Coventry will accept offers around his £8m Transfermarkt valuation or risk losing him for free next season.
