West Ham are reportedly interested in signing Sheffield United left-back Rhys Norrington-Davies and the Wales international could allow David Moyes to finally get rid of Aaron Cresswell.
According to The Sun, the Irons, Crystal Palace, Leicester City and AFC Bournemouth were all tracking the defender ahead of a potential January transfer move, although his current injury is set to rule him out until February.
The 23-year-old had been impressing in Paul Heckingbottom’s side at Bramall Lane ahead of his injury setback and looked likely to be part of Rob Page’s Wales squad for the World Cup in Qatar, given that the manager called him “exceptional” earlier this year.
Unfortunately for Norrington-Davies, he would miss the tournament with his injury and could face another 10 weeks on the sidelines, which may also rule out his chances of earning a Premier League move in next month’s window.
This season has seen the former Stoke City and Luton Town loanee make 15 appearances in the Championship for the promotion-chasing Blades, averaging a solid 6.60 rating from WhoScored for his performances.
Should he arrive at the London Stadium in the near future, he would likely compete with Cresswell and Emerson for a starting spot in Moyes’ side, with the former perhaps more likely to lose his place, given that he will turn 33 next week.
Although he has been an excellent servant for the club, making 311 appearances for the Irons since joining from Ipswich Town in the summer of 2014, last season emphasised his vulnerabilities as a defender, as he was sent off in two hugely important Europa League fixtures against Lyon and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Cresswell has failed to average above a 7/10 rating from WhoScored in any of his eight and a half seasons with the club, which suggests that Moyes should be aiming for better, especially if he still views the Hammers as a side capable of playing regular European football.
This season has seen Norrington-Davies average more tackles (1.4 vs 0.9) and dribbles (0.3 vs 0.1) per game than Cresswell, while he is also dribbled past less, which suggests that the young Welshman could be an upgrade on the veteran full-back at the London Stadium.
Cresswell’s contract at West Ham is set to expire at the end of the current campaign, which suggests that a replacement is needed, and Norrington-Davies could be the ideal man.
