West Ham defender Thilo Kehrer has come in for a lot of criticism for his performances since making the £10m move from Paris Saint-Germain last summer.
The German international put in a poor performance against Aston Villa at the weekend and many supporters on Twitter have been discussing whether he is good enough for the Hammers:
Hes definitely the scapegoat, think he’s range of passing is decent.
— Pagey (@PageyWhu99) March 15, 2023
Better in a back 3
— J o e (@NotJoeBryson) March 15, 2023
thing is at RCB (definitely not right back) he will play really well for most the game but make one big mistake every single game
— Charlie🍋⚒ (@hatandinshallah) March 15, 2023
hes a tale of 2 players id say, hes either very good or very poor. no middle ground
— dakotah (@dakotahwhu) March 15, 2023
Fact that teams attack the side kehrer is on most the time just shows how good he really is
— Jack_SmithWHU (@jimmyfromtheno1) March 15, 2023
He was playing well at centre back then Moyes put him right back
— English and Proud 🏴 (@the3lions96) March 15, 2023
he’s not as bad as people suggest but definitely not very good
— ⚒ (@riceszn_) March 15, 2023
Our ‘system’ or lack their of often leaves him really isolated and in many 2v1 scenarios. Really feel for him. Quality on the ball
— callum (@CNHD_) March 15, 2023
As some have pointed out, Kehrer doesn’t really fit a four-man backline. The 26-year-old is not positionally good enough to be a right-back, while he lacks the strength and decision-making to be an effective centre-half.
He does perform better when asked to play in a back three, but that does limit manager David Moyes in how he deploys the player.
For someone who has 24 caps for Germany, it is surprising that Kehrer hasn’t been able to perform to a higher level since moving to the Premier League and he could well be shipped out at the end of the season if he doesn’t improve.
