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West Ham beating Arsenal to sign £22m star would be a statement from Pellegrini

Why West Ham should go all out to sign Martin Hinteregger in January

The Sun has claimed that Arsenal have joined West Ham in the race to sign Martin Hinteregger of Eintracht Frankfurt. The defender is valued at £22million.

Martin Hinteregger, 27, was loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt from FC Augsburg in January 2019. He impressed on loan for Frankfurt that saw the Bundesliga club sign him permanently in the summer. The Austrian international has enhanced his growing reputation with solid displays at the back in the Bundesliga this season.

Martin Hinteregger in action for Red Bull Salzburg. (Getty Images)
Martin Hinteregger in action for Red Bull Salzburg. (Getty Images)

The central defender has chipped in with five goals for club and country already this season, four of which have come in 18 Frankfurt appearances. He has played in all 12 of his club’s Bundesliga and Europa League matches this campaign.

With Hinteregger performing really well in the German top-flight, West Ham must surely not let Arsenal win the race for the defender. West Ham’s form has dipped significantly since the last month, with a run of six games without a win turning the spotlight on manager Manuel Pellegrini.

In fact, they haven’t won since beating Manchester United on September 22. This has killed the Hammers’ promising start to the 2019/20 Premier League campaign.

Pellegrini’s side have been defensively woeful amidst the alarming dip in form, conceding 11 goals in the last 5 league games. Clearly, West Ham do need a defensive shake-up in January if they are to revive their form and finish in the top six.

Martin Hinteregger has impressed in Eintracht Frankfurt colours since arriving in January 2019. (Getty Images)
Martin Hinteregger has impressed in Eintracht Frankfurt colours since arriving in January 2019. (Getty Images)

To put things into perspective, Issa Diop needs a reliable partner at the back and thus, the East Londoners could do a good job by recruiting Martin Hinteregger.

Hinteregger has established himself as one of the best central defenders in the Bundesliga after catching the eye at Augsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt.

As per WhoScored.com, the 27-year-old has averaged 1.9 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 1.6 clearances and 0.4 blocks per game in the Bundesliga this season, which suggest the defender is really robust when it comes to tackling and interceptions.

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West Ham players celebrating a goal. (Getty Images)

The Austrian international is a real threat in the opposition box during set-pieces and four goals in all competitions do justify that. However, Hinteregger needs to improve his passing from the back as he has averaged just 70.9% pass success rate in the league.

Verdict

All in all, Hinteregger could prove to be an inspired signing for West Ham and help the club achieve a top-six spot this season.