Having fought off competition from Everton, West Ham recruited Leeds United’s Sam Byram in a four-and-a-half-year deal earlier this week. The 22-year-old defender – who can play at right-back or right midfield – cited the presence of Slaven Bilic as a chief influence on his decision to move to Upton Park:
“Slaven was a big impact on me coming to the club. He was a defender during his career so I am sure he will be able to help me with my development. You always want to improve as a player so for me to work with Slaven and his backroom staff is only going to make me better.”
The History
Born in Essex, Byram moved to Yorkshire as a child and began his footballing education as a Leeds United scholar back in 2010. After working his way up the ranks and becoming a regular starter for the U18s during the 2011/12 campaign, he penned a professional deal in the summer of 2012.
Byram caught the eye of manager Neil Warnock during the 2012/13 pre-season and was subsequently inserted into the starting line-up for his league debut against Wolves in the opening Gameweek. Deployed at both right-back and right midfield, Byram would go on to card 44 appearances in his maiden campaign, tallying three goals and five assists in the process.
Following a 2013/14 season that was pockmarked with injuries, Byram made 36 starts in the previous campaign, bagging three goals and a trio of assists along the way. As reward for the quality of his performances, the burgeoning starlet was nominated for the Fans Player of the Year award and Young Player of the Year award.
In the first half of this Championship season, Byram was predominantly deployed as a right winger, with a smattering of outings at right-back. By virtue of his three goals and one assist in December, he scooped the Player of the Month award, before posting his final two appearances for the West Yorkshire outfit. In all, Byram amassed nine goals and 12 assists across 130 outings during his three-and-a-half year stint at Elland Road.
The Prospects
It’s believed that the Hammers were initially keen on snapping up Byram in the summer, when his contract ran out, but Everton’s early interest somewhat forced Bilic’s hand. Indeed, the Croatian conceded that the new boy’s arrival will only increase the competition for the right-back berth:
“He is more for us for next season because at the moment we have Carl Jenkinson and Arsenal said at beginning of season it’s his last season with us. So we started looking to fill that gap. He [Byram] came now and it is only a plus, but I can’t tell you now when he’s going to play. It’s up to him to show us what he can do. I told Sam that I like young players, I told him that he can improve, I didn’t promise him anything, no guarantees. But he found out we were watching him for a long time and that we were serious about him and had big plans for him. We are delighted to have him.”
Certainly, Bilic seems unconvinced over Cark Jenkinson’s showings at right-back and has resorted to fielding James Tomkins in that position in recent matches. Whilst Tomkins’ defensive qualities have helped the Hammers tighten up, as a centre-half by trade he lacks the attacking qualities of Aaron Cresswell on the opposite flank. Byram’s arrival could solve the problem area, though it remains to be seen whether he’ll be able to quickly nail down a regular role. That being said, Tomkins is a doubt for the Irons’ home clash against Manchester City this weekend, so there’s a chance the new boy could be afforded an instant debut. Should he slot in seamlessly, Byram’s installation to the Hammers back-four would increase the completion at centre-half, with Tomkins then battling with James Collins, Angelo Ogbonna and Winston Reid for a berth in the middle.
Priced at 5.0 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), Byram’s attacking qualities could potentially render him the prime route into West Ham’s rearguard if he can impress Bilic and establish himself as a regular starter. For now, though, the 5.6-priced Aaron Cresswell remains the safest option – with one goal and three assists he’s 24 points ahead of any defensive team-mate.
Despite his versatility, it looks very unlikely that Byrom will be utilised as a winger by Bilic, judging by the manager’s words. Certainly, the Hammers are well stocked in this area, with Michail Antonio, Enner Valencia, Victor Moses, Dimitri Payet, Diafra Sakho and Manuel Lanzini all options on the flanks.
Should Byram receive an early call to action and make an instant impression, West Ham’s schedule (MCI, AVL, sou, nor) looks fairly promising on the clean-sheet front – particularly when they shipped just two goals in their previous four home fixtures.
Beyond the Man City encounter, Bilic’s troops play host to a Villains outfit that ranks bottom for goals scored (18) this season. Moreover, only two sides have recorded fewer home goals than Norwich City (12), which bodes well for a trip to Carrow Road over the next four.
