West Ham sign Konstantinos Mavropanos for £19m: Decoding his stats
West Ham United have roped in Greek defender Konstantinos Mavropanos from Stuttgart. As per Sky Sports, Mavropanos has moved to the London Stadium from Stuttgart on a £17m initial deal, with a further £2m in add-ons. Mavropanos, who has signed a five-year deal, had made eight appearances for Arsenal. He spent two seasons on loan with Stuttgart before making the move permanent last summer.
Why does this story matter?
Mavropanos became David Moyes' primary target once the Harry Maguire deal collapsed. The Hammers needed reinforcement in the center-back position and the 25-year-old Greece international can prove to be a very underrated signing. He will provide stability to the backline and also has Premier League experience from his Arsenal days, which will surely help him. Mavropanos will be eager to make a mark.
A look at his career stats
Mavropanos started his career at PAS Giannina and represented them 20 times across two seasons. He then moved to Arsenal in 2018. He moved to 2. Bundesliga outfit Nurnberg on loan in 2019 and played 11 games before joining Stuttgart on loan. He represented them in 89 appearances across three seasons, scoring eight times.
Breaking down Mavropanos' numbers in 2022-23 Bundesliga
The 25-year-old played 28 matches in the 2022-23 Bundesliga, netting two goals and providing an assist. Mavropanos created 15 chances last season. As per Opta, he completed 1,162 out of 1,392 attempted passes, clocking 83.48% passing accuracy. He won 81 aerial duels and 89 ground duels while making 50 tackles. Mavropanos amassed 97 clearances, 63 interceptions and 18 blocks while keeping two clean sheets.
A look at his overall numbers for Stuttgart
As mentioned Mavropanos has represented Stuttgart in 89 matches across three seasons. He was on loan for the first two seasons before joining permanently last season. Overall, he appeared in 80 Bundesliga matches for the club, scoring six times. The 25-year-old featured in seven DFB-Pokal fixtures, netting a solitary goal. His best season was in 2021-22 as he scored five times in 33 appearances.
What does he bring to West Ham?
Mavropanos is physically well-built, is very decent in the air and is also an adept passer. He will bolster the backline for West Ham as the Hammers need depth as they will be featuring in the Europa League this season Leaving their starting center-backs Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd, they only have Angelo Ogbonna. So they desperately needed some more depth in defense.
19 matches for Greece!
Mavropanos earned his first international call-up in March 2021 after his consistent performances for Stuttgart. He made his debut on 28th March 2021 in a friendly against Honduras. He came on as a substitute. Overall, the defender has amassed 19 international caps for Greece.
