West Ham United are likely to have Sheffield United and Republic of Ireland centre-back John Egan on their list of targets if Craig Dawson leaves the club.
That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who was speaking to This is Futbol about the latest news from the London Stadium.
It had been widely rumoured that Dawson was on the verge of leaving West Ham this summer, with both Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers interested in a move for the centre-back.
However, a move never materialised due to the Irons’ inability to sign a centre-back to replace the 32-year-old that late in the transfer window.
According to The Sun, West Ham are prepared to offer £12m to Sheffield United for the services of Egan this January, who could be seen as the ideal replacement for a potentially departing Dawson.
And O’Rourke believes that the 26-time Republic of Ireland international will be on the Irons’ list of transfer targets if Dawson leaves the club.
“Yeah, Egan’s a good player, he obviously has Premier League experience as well from Sheffield United’s time in the top flight.
“He’s a Republic of Ireland international, obviously doing quite well with Sheffield United right now who are top of the Championship table as well.
“So, if West Ham do end up losing Craig Dawson, I’m sure Egan is somebody who’s on the list of targets that David Moyes is looking at.”
TIF Thoughts on O’Rourke’s comments
We believe that if the Hammers can get a decent fee for Dawson in January, then the club could potentially be partaking in sensible business if they are able to secure the services of Egan in the new year.
The 29-year-old, who has been described as ‘unreal‘, currently averages a SofaScore rating of 7.01 for his form for the Blades across the current Championship season, suggesting that he has been a solid citizen for the top-of-the-table side so far this campaign.
We therefore think that Egan could prove to be a solid piece of business for GSB at the London Stadium this summer, especially if they could get the Blades star to act as a replacement for Dawson this winter.