Hungary manager Marco Rossi has expressed his surprise that centre-back Attila Szalai hasn’t left Fenerbahce for a team in a bigger league.

West Ham were heavily linked with the 24-year-old in the summer, while the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest have also been mentioned as potential suitors. However, the defender has stayed in Turkey; a decision which Rossi said he did not expect:

“I don’t know how this process developed. It’s probably a decision taken with the club. It was written in the newspapers that he would go to one of the (big European) leagues. Such as Spain, England or Germany. Honestly, I thought he’d move to one of them. It’s a bit of a surprise to me that he doesn’t leave. But that’s okay. Attila plays in the first XI at a big club. (He is) an important player for the team. Fenerbahce is a team that dominates Turkish football.”

The Hammers could well be in the market for another centre-back in the January transfer window. Although David Moyes’ side did recruit both Nayef Aguerd and Thilo Kehrer in the summer, Craig Dawson is keen to leave for personal reasons so a replacement may need to be brought in.

Whether Szalai will come back under consideration, we shall have to wait and see. Previous reports have claimed that West Ham would consider a cut-price option, with Eintrack Frankfurt’s Evan Ndicka having been suggested as a target quite recently.