Why the Juventus man is the perfect Ogbonna replacement at West Ham

In July 2015, West Ham signed the 27-year-old Italian centre-back from Serie A giants Juventus to strengthen their backline. That man – Angelo Ogbonna – will be a key player in David Moyes’ solid defense this season, at least until he suffers a season-ending injury earlier this month.

Now that Ogbonna is out long term, The Hammers Reportedly may return to the Allianz Stadium for another 27-year-old Italian to take his place.

Daniele Rugani Once considered the next great thing of Italian football when overcoming Juve’s junior ranks, it is no small feat from a country known for producing world-class defenders.

Unfortunately for him, his path to official game time (for both club and country) was blocked by evergreen trio Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli.

Daniele Rugani’s career seems very similar to Ogbonna’s past

After years of warming up to the bench in Turin, the centre-back was loaned out last season, first to Rennes, then to Cagliari – neither of which were particularly happy spells. Now 27 years old, Rugani is at a stage in his career where he has to leave Old woman good if he starts to deliver on his substantial initial promise.

In many ways, Rugani’s situation closely resembles that of Ogbonna more than six years ago. Ogbonna also cannot usurp Chiellini & co. in the center of defence, and forced to take more time off, especially as he harbors ambitions of playing internationally.

Like his compatriot, at West Ham, Rugani could find a situation (not without great risk) that would yield significant benefits and possibly kickstart his career.

#WestHam showed interest in Daniele #Rugani. #Hammers offered a loan with a call option, but # Juventus prefer a long-term deal to sell the Italian midfielder and have asked for 18 million euros. Talks are going on. #transfers #WHUFC

– Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) September 28, 2020

West Ham could be the perfect fit

With Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma both retired for key periods, Rugani’s only competitors for a starting spot in the near future are Issa Diop and Craig Dawson, both are not strong passers, and are easy to make mistakes.

The Italian, by contrast, would provide a calmer presence in the Hammers’ backline, and a reliable escape from the defence, having had a Over 90% accuracy the last time he played key game time for Juve.

With the Hammers in dire need of an experienced centre-back to replace Ogbonna midseason, and Rugani in need of a fresh start, a move to London for the Italian seems like the perfect fit for all parties. . If everything goes to plan, we could soon see another former Juve player leading the charge at the London Stadium.