West Ham: Emil Holm is a better option than Johnson
West Ham are starting to make inroads into the transfer market…
West Ham are in the market for a right back and are targeting Emil Holm.
Who wants to sign Emil Holm?
According to Tuttomercatoweb, the Irons and Brighton have made €9.5m (£8m) bids for the Spezia man, both of which were instantly rejected.
The report details that the Serie A outfit is demanding closer to £13m for Holm.
Who is Emil Holm?
The full-back, described as a “rising star” by Swedish midfielder Pontus Wernbloom, made 23 appearances across all competitions last term and could evolve into a better option than Ben Johnson.
Defensively, Holm and Johnson rank extremely close for a number of metrics for a defender.
That includes tackles per 90 (1.68 vs 2.08) which are in favour of Johnson, blocks per 90 (1.36 vs 1.25), clearances per 90 (2.65 vs 2.91), and aerials won per 90 (4.2 vs 1.66).
Whilst the Englishman betters Holm in 75% of those metrics, the Swede has still shown he is extremely reliable, failing to commit any errors leading to shots or goals domestically. Interestingly, he’s also a great deal better in the air.
David Moyes’ interest in the youngster is most likely driven by his versatility and attacking threat.
Last season for Spezia, Holm mainly appeared as a right-wing back/right midfielder, tasked with supporting offensive sequences, whilst also slotting into a five-man defence.
Nevertheless, the two-cap international seemed to thrive in this position and emphatically trumps Johnson in forward areas.
Most notably, he outperforms the West Ham youngster for shots per 90 (0.97 vs 0.21), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.33 vs 0.83), progressive carries per 90 (2.65 vs 1.56), successful take-ons per 90 (1.16 vs 0.85), and touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 (2.58 vs 0.21).
Whilst there can be a question around defensive capabilities, his similarity to Johnson’s numbers coupled with his supreme attacking superiority would make him a more attractive option. Holm also has the added incentive of allowing Moyes more flexibility with his formation choices.
Johnson seems to excel the deeper he plays, so if Moyes ever opted to play a three-at-the-back system, the defender’s profile means he could fit in seamlessly as a right-sided centre-half.
However, most worryingly for Johnson, he only started nine Premier League games, despite Vladimir Coufal experiencing a troubling campaign. The 30-year-old ranks within the lowest 2% in Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion and successful take-ons per 90, as well as the worst 39% for progressive passes per 90.
It seems that Johnson and Coufal both suffer from a lack of incisiveness on the ball in attacking areas, which could pave the way for a more dynamic and technical player, such as Holm, to cement the position.
The £4.3k-per-week titan still remains in the early stages of his career and Tim Steidten, the Hammers’ newly-appointed director of football, has forged a habit of signing players at a young age before they’ve hit a ridiculous ceiling of potential.
This includes the likes of Serge Gnabry and Kevin De Bruyne, and whilst it would be foolish to suggest that Holm’s quality can reach this level, he is on the right trajectory and there is definitely an opportunity to flourish at the London Stadium.
