West Ham United have been linked with a move for VfB Stuttgart defender Ozan Kabak, as per reports.
The Hammers have made contact with the 19-year-old, who has also attracted interest from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich, according to the Daily Mail.
The former Galatasaray centre-back scored 3 goals in 17 appearances across all competitions during his six months period with the Bundesliga side, but his impressive performances weren’t enough to save the team from relegation.
What would Kabak bring to the table? Here is a detailed SWOT analysis of the Stuttgart centre-back.
Strengths
Kabak is a versatile player who predominantly features in the centre-back position but can also be used in a defensive midfield role because of his technical ability, and composure on the ball.
The Turkish defender, who stands in at 6ft 1in, possesses a strong tackling prowess and is hard to beat in an aerial duel.
His anticipation and reading of the game, especially in one on one situations, is unparalleled, and he will only get better considering he is just 19 years of age.
Weaknesses
The Turkish International doesn’t boast any significant weakness, but he is far from perfect seeing his inexperience at the bigger stage. His pace and decision-making are worries, but the latter will get better with time.
Opportunities
Manuel Pellegrini likes to play a possession-based attacking style of football. Kabak is known for being involved in the build-up play, thanks to his tremendous passing and solid distribution skills, which makes him a perfect fit for the system Pellegrini is trying to implement at the London Stadium.
Threats
The Turkish defender is fairly young and the expectations in the English top-flight can often get the better of young talents.
Kabak has only played half a season in one of the top five leagues in Europe which could be too small a sample size to calculate the chances of the teenager’s success in the English top-flight.
He is also unlikely to get a string of games, so he will have to make the most out of the handful of chances he gets, so the margin for failure will be very thin.
