Charlie Hughes, a defender at Wigan Athletic, has emerged as a transfer target for West Ham United.
The Hammers have reportedly placed Hughes “on their target list” and have sent scouts to observe him play this season.
West Ham see Hughes as a “possible long-term project” for which they “could move in quickly,” with other Premier League clubs reportedly keeping an eye on the defender.
Hughes remained with the Latics following their relegation from the Championship last season, and he signed a contract extension to keep him at the DW Stadium until the summer of 2028 in June.
He is not the only League One defender to have been linked with a move to West Ham, with the Hammers making a bid for Peterborough United’s Ronnie Edwards this summer.
Charlie Hughes’s performance for Wigan Athletic has been mixed.
Hughes spent time in the academies of Manchester City and Liverpool before joining Wigan as a U14 in 2017.
He captained the Latics’ U18 side in the 2021-22 season, making his senior debut for the club against Arsenal U21 in the EFL Trophy in January 2022.
Hughes made his league debut for Wigan in the 4-1 defeat at Middlesbrough on Boxing Day, and he remained a regular for the rest of the campaign, scoring one goal in 23 appearances in all competitions, but he was unable to prevent their relegation to League One.
The defender has scored two goals and provided one assist in 12 appearances for Shaun Maloney’s side so far this season, and he was worn the captain’s armband on a number of occasions.
However, it has been another season of struggle for the Latics, and they currently sit 23rd in the third tier, five points from safety following an eight-point deduction.
After Hughes extended his contract with Wigan, Maloney praised the defender’s “outstanding development” over the last year, and predicted he has a bright future ahead of him.
