West Ham United have been described by Celta Vigo’s Oscar Mingueza as a “great team” and a “very nice team”.
The 24-year-old defender praised the Hammers amid reports in Spain linking the player with a move to the London Stadium in January.
It had been reported that West Ham could be ready to launch an offensive for Mingueza and even pay as much as €20million (around £17.5million) for him.
Moi Celeste have now covered comments from the defender on Galician Television regarding a possible transfer to the Premier League.
However, although Mingueza has kind words about West Ham, he played down the prospect of a move, saying he’s just concentrating on Celta’s next game.
“I have nothing planned nor has anyone contacted me,” he said. “I am focused on Celta.
“West Ham are a great team, a very nice team but I am focused on Celta and the match against Valencia.”
West Ham linked with ‘tall, strong’ defender who ‘oozes calm’
It’s not unusual to hear a player publicly play down the prospect of a move to another team when pressed.
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Indeed, it’s a good thing. It shows the player has respect for his current team and doesn’t want to add fuel to the fire.
At the same time, that’s not to say nothing will happen for certain. You never know what could happen once the window opens.
West Ham could certainly do with bolstering their defensive ranks. The Hammers have conceded 22 goals in 12 league games this season.
In addition, West Ham’s right flank is in particular need of addressing.
At present, the Hammers have Vladimir Coufal and Ben Johnson at right-back, but both of their contract expire in 2024, with the former having an option for another year.
With that in mind, a move for Mingueza – a Barcelona academy graduate who can play at right-back and centre-back – certainly seems like a good shout for West Ham.
In November 2020, 90Min wrote of the player: “A tall, strong central defender, Mingueza oozes calm on the ball while playing out from the back – as you might expect for a Barca starlet.
“He is comfortable with both feet and happy to play the ball between the lines to start attacks.
“While not blessed with pace, he uses his brain more in defensive situations to ensure he’s in the right position to deal with the threat rather than trying to bail himself out.”