West Ham United want to sign South American defensive ace: A solid addition for Pellegrini

West Ham United are keen to sign Deportivo Alaves defender Guillermo Maripan, and would like to get the deal done before the start of the Copa America on June 14th.

According to MARCA, the Hammers have already placed an initial bid of €11.6m, an offer which is rejected by Alaves.

The Chilean defender has a buyout clause of €25m in his contract, and the La Liga side will want something around that price range to let go of Maripan.

The 25-year-old made a statement saying he feels good in Spain, but would like to play in the Premier League, a decision he will make after the Copa America concludes in Brazil.

Guillermo Maripan would be a solid addition to West Ham United

West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini likes to play a possession-based attacking style of football.

Currently, Pellegrini has the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, Issa Diop, Winston Reid and Fabian Balbuena as his defensive options. Maripan would offer Pellegrini another good option as he is a ball-playing centre-back, which would help any team with a possession based system.

The 25-year-old started 25 games last season, and impressed everyone with his displays, especially against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

The Alaves defender has a lot of quality and with a 6ft 3in frame, any doubts over physicality concerns to succeed in the Premier League have already been thrown out of the window. Maripan’s aerial prowess remains unparalleled, with the Chilean averaging a 4.2 aerial duels won per game.

Maripan averaged 1.7 interceptions and 2 tackles a game last season, and helped his side put in good defensive displays to finish 11^th in the league table.

The 25-year-old also showed his capability going forward which is essential for any modern day centre-back. Maripan managed 4 goal contribution across all competitions posing himself as a threat from set-pieces in the final third. His passing accuracy can improve from the 75.3% that he managed last season, but it’s his ability to dribble out of the defence that would make him a good addition to the team.

West Ham were not the most consistent of sides defensively last season, and that’s something Pellegrini will want to improve for next season. Maripan’s inclusion would help the manager set up his team the way his wants, with the defenders playing a key role in the build-up play.

Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt, Whoscored