West Ham 'pinpoint' Millwall's ex-Tottenham star as next summer target with Wolves also lurking

West Ham United are now preparing for a London derby against Arsenal after suffering a 1-0 loss to Brentford at the London Stadium on Saturday. Kevin Schade’s fourth-minute goal proved decisive as the Hammers enjoyed more of the ball but could not make it count with both sides producing a similar amount of efforts at goal.

The Gunners beat Leicester City 2-0 at the King Power Stadium on Saturday and will be hoping for another three points against the Irons as they look to keep the pressure on Liverpool in the Premier League title race. Liverpool are in action against Aston Villa in midweek so Arsenal will be hoping for a favour from old manager Unai Emery.

In the same fixture last season, West Ham stunned Arsenal to win 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium. However, they have lost their last two games against Arsenal 6-0 and 5-2. West Ham haven’t kept a clean sheet since a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Southampton on Boxing Day.

Japhet Tanganga eyed by West Ham

Amid their struggles in defence, GiveMeSport reports that Millwall’s former Tottenham Hotspur defender Japhet Tanganga has been ‘pinpointed’ as a potential signing for West Ham this summer. Wolves, Southampton and Ipswich Town are all credited with an interest in the defender who has impressed for the Lions this season.

Tanganga scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Leeds United back in November. Speaking after the game, Millwall manager at the time Neil Harris said: "That’s why I rung him every day in the summer. I get on brilliantly with Japh. I just promised him rhythm, games, doing the best we can to keep him fit and a platform to enjoy his football.

"Really, [we wanted to] kickstart and re-start his career again. He’s a Premier League player, we all know that. He’s had a really tough four years with injuries and disappointing loans, where it hasn’t quite worked for him and he’s not been looked after in the right manner to keep him fit after a couple of long-term injuries. We want him on the pitch every week and he knows his place in the team. I know what he’s excellent at, which is pretty much everything."

Why did Tanganga leave Tottenham?

Tanganga made 18 appearances on loan at Millwall during the previous campaign before leaving Spurs when his contract expired last summer. When he returned to the Den on a long-term deal, Harris said he was the number one target for the club.

Opening up on his decision to leave Spurs, Tanganga said previously: “It was always going to be tough leaving Tottenham. It was my first club, I grew up there really. I was there from when I was nine until 25. It was always in my mind that I needed to go and further myself and my career. I needed to play football and that’s what I’ve got at Millwall.”

He added: “The experience I got from my time at Tottenham is great. It’s something I can use to my advantage, the information I’ve gathered from my time in the Premier League. The Championship is its own level itself and something you can’t underestimate. I’ve had to learn as well. As much as I’ve played in the Premier League, I’ve had to learn what the Championship is like. The boys who have been in this league for many years have really helped me with that.”