James Jones
West Ham are weighing up a move for Ryan Sessegnon, who is a free agent after being released by Tottenham this summer, according to The Guardian.
The 24-year-old has struggled regularly with hamstring problems ever since signing for Tottenham from Fulham in 2019. He has made just 38 league appearances for Spurs in the last five years and featured just once last season after undergoing hamstring surgery.
New West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui is in the transfer market for a backup for Emerson. Aaron Cresswell is the only left-back on the books and, despite signing a new one year deal earlier in the summer, is not seen to be a solid enough understudy to Emerson in that position.
However, Sessegnon’s injury history understandably has West Ham seeking assurances that these issues are behind him and that they will be able to rely on his fitness should they agree to bring him to London Stadium.
Sessegnon a risky signing for West Ham
Embed from Getty ImagesOn the face of it, signing the left back would help boost West Ham’s homegrown quota. However, his injury record over the last five years raises a very large red flag over his ability to remain fit.
Since signing for Spurs in 2019, Sessegnon has missed 128 games through injury, the majority of which were due to hamstring troubles. According to transfermarkt.com, he has spent 774 days of his Spurs tenure on the sidelines. That’s almost half of his entire career in north London. Prior to his move, he had missed just three games for Fulham due to a groin strain.
Therefore, despite him being available on a free transfer, the left-back remains a huge risk. Indeed, he would be a very good back-up option for Emerson and Lopetegui will still have Cresswell to call upon if needed.
But, is it a risk worth taking when there is so much importance on adding strength in depth to various positions in the squad this summer?
