West Ham should not delay signing Nantes defender Nathan Zeze due to his lack of first-team appearances, says Dr. Rajpal Brar.
The injury expert claims that despite the France defender being 19 years old, it is not necessarily an indication that he will have fitness issues if he moves to the Premier League.
This comes after Sport Italia reported on August 12 that the Hammers had made a £17million bid for the Nantes centre-back.
Brar, a physiotherapist and sports scientist, spoke exclusively to West Ham Zone:
“I wouldn’t call it a red flag, but the club must certainly be aware of the fact that he is still 19 and has had very few first-team games in just one season of senior football.
“The key parameters to understand will be his basic fitness, habits and physical metrics.
“Unless he’s had a series of fitness issues in his teenage years, he’s not a player I’d advise against signing.”
West Ham don’t need another centre-back transfer
The Hammers have already brought in two central defenders this summer and do not need a third before the transfer window.
Furthermore, Zeze is only 19 years old and may not yet be ready for the grind of playing week in and week out in the Premier League.
It also doesn’t come cheap and at this stage, if the club is willing to shell out that much money, it should be in other areas of the plan.