Former West Ham United manager David Moyes has a lot to answer for when it comes to the struggles of Thilo Kehrer at the London Stadium it seems.
Thilo Kehrer was brought to West Ham by David Moyes from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2022, for a fee believed to be worth around £10 million.
However, the Germany international never reached the heights that were expected of him at the London Stadium.
The annoying thing was that he clearly had something about him. Kehrer was heavily linked with Bayern Munich late on in the 2023 summer transfer window, but he remained with the Hammers in the end.
However, the 28-year-old was then moved on to Monaco on loan in the January window of this year, before the deal was made a permanent one a few months later for around £9.4 million.
The German has really thrived in Ligue 1 with Monaco.
Amazingly, Kehrer has been the best central defender in Europe’s top five leagues this season with Monaco.
In five Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco so far this season, the defender has averaged 2.8 tackles, 5.2 clearances and 2.2 successful aerial duels per game. He has made 62.4 passes on average per match and has recorded a completion rate of 90.4% (Who Scored).
Kehrer has been incredibly solid for Monaco in the Champions League as well. What a turnaround from his problems at West Ham…
Thilo Kehrer suggests Moyes was to blame for West Ham form
The Monaco defender has been impressing this season with his extremely consistent performances.
The German is oozing coolness and composure at the back for Monaco out in France – a vast contrast to what he displayed in East London.
So why was Kehrer unable to show his very best form on a consistent basis for the Hammers?
Well, it now seems like we could have the answer to that question.
Kehrer has been speaking to BILD (print edition October 16th) about his success with Monaco, and his struggles at the London Stadium.
The former PSG man lifted the lid on why things never worked out for him with West Ham.
He said, “Being flexible is a strength. But for me it is very helpful to have a fixed position in the centre. That is when I am at my best.”
He then made it very clear how trust from the manager has played a key aspect in his great form this season…
A number of things come together. Self-confidence, playing time, trust from the club, coach and teammates.”
The fact that he wasn’t used consistently as a centre-back at West Ham is incredibly frustrating.
Central defence is clearly where he’s at his best, and even more annoyingly, his best performance for the Hammers was in that exact position when he came on to replace Kurt Zouma with 30 minutes still to play in the 2023 Europa Conference League final.
The way that he was completely ostracised from the starting XI by Moyes last season was nothing short of disgraceful if you ask me.
Thilo Kehrer wasted at West Ham
Firstly, I have to say, he really was poor on the most part during his time with the Hammers.
His concentration levels were nowhere near good enough, he was rash in the challenge and his positional awareness left a lot to be desired.
However, all of that comes with a very big caveat.
The majority of his time with West Ham was spent at right-back, presumably because of his rapid speed.
However, it’s painfully clear to see that he’s a centre-back by heart, and if he was used there consistently by Moyes, he may well have been a hit in East London.
I get the feeling that West Ham completely wasted Thilo Kehrer, in spite of his faults.
He’s proving out in Ligue 1 now just how good he is, and he would have been a very useful cover for Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo right now.
Kehrer’s struggles with West Ham were down to Moyes – the German made that very clear indeed when speaking to BILD.
