According to a report from the Football Insider, West Ham United are considering making a January move for Eintracht Frankfurt defender Martin Hinteregger. The left-footed central-defender is reportedly on the club’s radar with Manuel Pellegrini said to be keen to bolster his defensive options in-time for the second half of the season.
The London club are said to be long-term admirers of the player and having failed to win in their last five Premier League outings, conceding ten goals in that period it’s clear that defensively they must improve.
West Ham have done significant business with Eintracht Frankfurt in the past. The club signed striker Sebastien Haller from the German outfit in the summer for £36m.
TIF Tactics – What’s Hinteregger all about?
The 27-year-old is an Austria international with 44 senior caps and four goals to his name. He joined Eintracht Frankfurt from FC Augsburg back in August for a transfer fee of £8.1m. Hinteregger has already scored three goals in the Bundesliga this season despite having played just nine times – for a central defender that’s an incredible return.
Eintracht Frankfurt defeated Bayern Munich at the weekend and that result saw Niko Kovac fired as a result. It was a game in which the West Ham target put in a towering display, his performance was rated at 7.5/10, according to WhoScored.com. Indeed, according to the data analysts, Hinteregger has been in solid form throughout the season, as he has managed to achieve an average of 1.9 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 1.6 clearances in his nine Bundesliga outings to date.
He also featured against Arsenal in the UEFA Europa League group stage earlier this season, a game in which the Gunners ran out with a comfortable away victory. Hinteregger would be expected to participate in the reverse fixture between the two clubs at the Emirates Stadium later this month, and the Irons, may perhaps, feel that it is an opportune moment to have him watched closely should they look to make a move for him in January.