The closer we get to the start of the new Premier League season, the more anxious West Ham United supporters are growing about a lack of new arrivals at the London Stadium.
With Declan Rice's £105m move to Arsenal dragging on, the Hammers are seemingly holding fire before bringing in any new recruits to bolster a side that underwhelmed domestically last season.
Who have West Ham signed so far this summer?
David Moyes' side have yet to make a single senior signing ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, despite the fact that they have already kicked off their pre-season programme.
Rice's departure will surely be confirmed by the end of the week, whilst Manuel Lanzini is another first-teamer who has departed during the close season following the expiration of his contract.
For all the doom and gloom, though, Denis Zakaria is reportedly close to arriving from Juventus, and Spanish outlet ABC de Sevilla suggests the Europa Conference League winners are in advanced talks for Real Betis defender Luiz Felipe.
How good is Luiz Felipe?
The report indicates that the Irons are confident of completing a €20m (£17m) deal for Felipe – who was once described as "excellent" by FootballClub writer Juanlu Rodriguez – in the coming days.
The 26-year-old titan has only spent one campaign with Betis, having arrived from Lazio – where he had been a regular for five Serie A seasons – in July last year.
Felipe thrives in the defensive aspects of the game – always a priority for any centre-back, of course – as he ranks in the top 1% of all of his positional peers for blocks per 90 minutes (2.39) across Europe's top five leagues over the past year, as per FBref, and in the top 5% for clearances per 90 (2.39).
To put that second figure in some perspective, Kurt Zouma – the most likely candidate to make way should Felipe arrive in East London – averaged 0.77 blocks, placing him in the bottom 8% of centre-backs across Europe's elite leagues.
Felipe was often guilty of overstepping the mark last season, as he became the first player to receive three red cards in his first 11 LaLiga games this century, as per Opta. After the third of those sendings-off at the start of February, however, he did not see red again before the end of the season.
If West Ham's need for a new centre-back – or perhaps even two – was not already clear, the statistics lay it bare. Zouma is in the bottom 1% of centre-backs for tackles per 90 with 0.41, which compares to 1.55 for Felipe (top 56%).
Italy international Felipe does lack in other areas, yet he still ranks higher than Zouma for passes attempted per 90 (47.07 v 37.60) and successful take-ons (0.21 v 0.09), which are becoming increasingly more important traits for defenders to have.
Zouma's performances have noticeably dropped over the past year or so – perhaps coinciding with off-field events – and the time for change is now. Having also previously been touted as a target for Barcelona, Felipe looks well suited to slot in alongside compatriot Ogbonna in the heart of Moyes' defence.