West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo has already received a promise from the board ahead of January, with David Sullivan and co now making an ambitious plan.
West Ham in crisis with January window crucial
Nuno perhaps didn’t realise what a mighty job he’s got on his hands until West Ham’s tepid 2-0 loss at home to Brentford on Monday night.
From the offset, West Ham looked disjointed and uninspired. Their much-changed line-up, much to the bemusement of on-lookers, struggled to impose any control on the game, and their lack of creativity was glaring.
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace
Everton 1-1 West Ham
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
West Ham 0-2 Brentford
The east Londoners chased shadows for much of the match, and Brentford’s dominance was reflected in their relentless attacking play, as they repeatedly threatened the West Ham goal with 17 shots in total.
Losing just 2-0 flattered Nuno’s side, with Alphonse Areola forced into excellent saves as Keith Andrews’ side also struck the crossbar twice and had a goal chalked off for marginal offside by VAR.
Tomas Soucek and Andy Irving failed to provide the necessary balance in Nuno’s engine room. Soucek really struggled to influence the game going forward, while Irving appeared out of his depth in such a pivotal role.
Defensively, the decision to use Kyle Walker-Peters and Olly Scarles as opposing full-backs was equally puzzling. Neither player looked convincing on their weaker sides and left West Ham vulnerable on the flanks, while both Jean-Clair Todibo and Max Kilman had a nightmare as Nuno’s chosen centre-back pairing.
Lucas Paqueta also struggled in the striker role against Brentford, giving away possession a whopping 23 times, so Nuno will likely tinker the starting line-up again ahead of their tough trip to face newly-promoted Leeds United on Friday.
West Ham have now lost all of their first four home league games for the first time in their history, breaking an unwanted record, with the Hammers also standing out as the Premier League’s most vulnerable side.
No team has conceded more goals in the top flight than Nuno’s men so far, and this desperately needs to change if West Ham stand any chance of avoiding a drop to the Championship.
Their lack of options going forward, thanks in part to yet another injury for Niclas Füllkrug, is also a major problem.
Only bottom side Wolves and Nottingham Forest have scored fewer goals than West Ham in the league this term, with Sullivan and the board already making some plans ahead of the January window in a bid to save their campaign.
West Ham make January promise to Nuno as Sullivan eyes ambitious move
That is according to Sky Sports and journalist Kaveh Solhekol, who’ve now shared what West Ham are planning for the winter transfer market.
It is believed Nuno has “received confirmation” from the board that funds will be available to strengthen the squad in January, with West Ham ambitiously eyeing three major signings in total.
They want a new defender, midfielder and forward, which will be very hard to do considering just how tricky the January window can be with the lack of available, quality options.
It is very likely that the London club will look to instigate loan deals, and they’ve already been tipped to go for Real Madrid sensation Endrick or Al-Ahli’s Ivan Toney to bolster their striking department.
According to journalist Alan Nixon this week, West Ham have already worked on a loan deal for Toney, who could be open to the prospect of a London Stadium switch with the 2026 World Cup looming as he looks to battle his way into Thomas Tuchel’s plans.
Endrick, meanwhile, was on West Ham’s radar last January and his situation hasn’t exactly improved at the Bernabeu since then.
The Brazilian played a key role in Real’s run to the Copa del Rey final, scoring in nearly every game before their loss to Barcelona, but he’s scarcely been used in La Liga or the Champions League — mainly due to both injury and the fierce competition for places.
Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed that Endrick is expected to leave on loan in January as a result, so this is an opportunity that West Ham could grab with both hands.