West Ham have new bargaining chip for huge Championship talent, Lothar Matthaus loves him
Nuno Espirito Santo has already strengthened in the striker department, but there could be more to come for West Ham supporters this month.
Taty Castellanos scored his first West Ham goal against QPR on Sunday, 11 January. Still, it was a difficult FA Cup victory, having been taken to extra time by the Championship outfit.
New striker Pablo also came on at half-time, supporting the always in-form Jarrod Bowen, as well as Crysencio Summerville, but the Hammers clearly still have a missing piece in the final third.
Despite advancing to the fourth round of the competition, it was just the Irons’ first win in 11 games, with Nuno under severe pressure at West Ham, and already at risk of being replaced by Slaven Bilic.
With relegation very much still on the cards, David Sullivan is being pressured to open his pockets at the London Stadium, and that could happen before the transfer window slams shut.
West Ham are heavily linked with Josh Sargent
It is understood that Norwich City‘s Josh Sargent is one name on West Ham’s wishlist this month, alongside other Premier League clubs, but none have yet been able to strike a deal.
The 25-year-old has seven goals and three assists in 23 Championship games this season, despite facing a short injury lay-off last month, earning rave reviews from players and pundits alike.
Interestingly, one of football’s biggest names, Lothar Matthaus, has always had positive things to say about the USA international, speaking to the Bundesliga back in 2020.
He said, “For me, he’s not just a young player, but a top talent. His speed, robustness and finish in front of goal testify to his quality,” having notched 15 goals and six assists for Werder Bremen.
Nuno Espirito Santo has a bargaining chip to sign Norwich City star
The amount of interest surrounding the player might be a bit of an issue for some teams, but not the Hammers, who should be able to take advantage of a bargaining chip this month.
According to Pink Un (13 January), the Canaries have registered an interest in out-of-sorts Andy Irving, who the Championship side sees as fitting their midfield ahead of the second half of the season.
Philippe Clement is facing a fight against relegation, so reinforcements might be vital for Championship safety. The only way of securing their desired transfer, though, could be to sell one of their bigger names.
Of course, the two clubs could come to a player-switch agreement between Sargent and Irving, but it might take a little bit of extra cash to get the deal done before the transfer window shuts.