West Ham linked with a transfer for €20m-rated Dutch star: A good option for the club?

West Ham United have been linked with a move for Barcelona back-up goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.

The 30-year-old has publicly revealed his intentions to leave the Blaugrana in search of more playing time.

According to a report from the Spanish publication Sport, the Catalan club have lowered their asking price from €60 million to €20 million.

West Ham will have to compete with Valencia and Everton, who are also keeping tabs on the player.

In 11 appearances last term, the 30-year-old conceded 13 goals and mustered 3 shutouts in all competitions.

Is Cillessen a good option for the club?

Cillessen has managed a mere 32 appearances for Barcelona in his career, despite being the number one choice for the Netherlands national team.

This has nothing to do with the quality of the Dutchman between the sticks. He has been rather unlucky with someone like Marc Andre Ter Stegen to displace from the first team – no mean feat considering how good the German international has been in between the sticks.

Cillessen excels at everything required for a modern-day goalkeeper. He has good distribution and is calm with the ball at his feet, excellent shot-stopping ability, and quick reflexes as well.

The Blaugrana number two averaged 4.9 long balls, 30.2 average passes and pass success of 76.5% per game in all competitions, which highlight his ability when he has the ball at his feet, something Barcelona looked at profoundly when they signed him.

The aforementioned traits will be key if he moves to the London stadium, as Manuel Pellegrini is trying to make the team play good football, with emphasis on building up moves from their own half.

Cillessen’s concentration, vision and awareness on the pitch are also top notch, and a prime example of the same was his pass to Philippe Coutinho in 2018 Copa del Rey final, which broke the deadlock and tilted the game in Barcelona’s favour.

Lukasz Fabianski had a brilliant campaign for the Hammers last season, but he is already 34, and it remains to be seen if he can replicate last season’s performances next season.

Cillessen is still at the prime of his career, and would be a good first team prospect, and with someone like Fabianski at the club, he is likely to remain on his toes.

Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt, Whoscored