Former West Ham United player Frank McAvennie has told the club to stay away from signing defender Joel Matip.
The free agent has attracted interest from the Hammers, who are looking to add depth to their squad following the departures of Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma.
Julen Lopetegui is keen to add more defensive depth to his squad, despite signing both Max Kilman and Jean-Clair-Todibo this summer.
Matip got injured in December last season and since then, he did not play for Liverpool until the time his contract expired in the summer.
His impressive career at Anfield was hugely affected by injuries and because of that, he missed a lot of football for Jurgen Klopp’s team.
McAvennie has advised his former club to stay away from the former Premier League defender.
In conversation with West Ham Zone, McAvennie said:
“There were two boys linked with West Ham – Joel Matip and Mats Hummels. I would have taken Hummels all day long. He’s a wonderful talent. I think the two that we’ve signed will be the centre-halves for a long time.
“Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo have to learn how to play with each other, though Dinos Mavropanos has been playing recently. They didn’t do too badly against Manchester City but you can’t do anything about someone like Erling Haaland. The guy is a machine.
“But West Ham need to bring another defender in. I wouldn’t go for Matip because he’s injured all the time. Why would you want to put him on our bench or our treatment table? Hummels would have done a really good job for us. Matip is a great player but he’s just never fit.”
West Ham United need a more reliable defender
You cannot disagree with McAvennie as Matip was injured most of the time for Liverpool and considering his age, he cannot be trusted with fitness issues now.
A younger, more accomplished option is needed in the West Ham United defense to act as the back up to the two first choice defenders.
The Hammers are exploring the free agent market at the moment due to the closure of Premier League’s transfer window.