Ex-Arsenal star who failed to convince Arteta emerges as Maguire alternative
Former Arsenal flop Konstantinos Mavropanos could be set for a move to West Ham as they attempt to find an alternative to Harry Maguire.
The Hammers were interested in a move for the former Manchester United captain. They had gone as far as agreeing a deal with the Red Devils, as confirmed by West Ham boss David Moyes.
A move to the London Stadium collapsed however, with the Hammers growing impatient with Maguire. The delay was said to be around a compensation package that the former Leicester star would be due should he leave Old Trafford. As a result, West Ham have started to look at alternatives.
Bayer Leverkusen pair Jonathan Tah and Odilon Kossounou were thought to be among the names under consideration. Another Bundesliga defender could also arrive in East London instead of Maguire.
According to Mail Online, the Hammers are interested in former Arsenal centre-back Mavropanos, who is currently with Stuttgart. The Greek, now 25, initially joined the German side on loan and his switch was made permanent at the end of the 2021/22 season as Stuttgart secured their place in the Bundesliga.
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In all, he has made 89 outings for his current employers. Whilst West Ham see him as a potential alternative to Maguire, they face competition for his services.
It is suggested that Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Eintracht Frankfurt are also interested, whilst Borussia Dortmund were also linked in the past. Ironically, Arsenal could potentially do with Mavropanos’ services following the injury suffered by Jurrien Timber.
West Ham are eyeing a deal for former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos (Getty Images)Would Mavropanos be a better signing than Maguire? Share your thoughts in the comments below
He was afforded just eight appearances for the Gunners as a youngster - one of which saw him sent off after just 15 minutes against Leicester. Football.London reported that Mikel Arteta had major concerns about Mavropanos’ ball distribution, which was a reason behind him being moved on.
Arsene Wenger - who originally brought him to North London - was a fan however. Speaking about his ability, the Frenchman said: “In training he has shown top quality but then you always have a question mark as long as you don’t see that under pressure in a big game.
"Until that, you don’t know. The big players do better in the competition than in training. They make a career, the others – we have many players at our level who do less well in competition than in training. That was the question mark and I think he did well. He surprised everybody by his quality today.”
Mavropanos has two years remaining on his contract with Stuttgart. They could potentially sanction an exit should they sign their own replacement, with Chelsea ’s Bashir Humphreys touted for a move to the Bundesliga.
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