West Ham to spend ‘£50m on three players’ in January
West Ham will attempt to operate with a limited transfer budget during the January transfer window and will be selective about their spending.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the club is going backwards due to the board’s lack of ambition.
West Ham lost 3-2 to Aston Villa last time out, sinking them back into the relegation zone while both Leeds and Nottingham Forest picked up crucial points.
As a result, Nuno Espirito Santo wants to strengthen his squad in a number of key positions, but is unlikely to be afforded a large budget to do so.
This comes after Football Insider revealed West Ham have set aside £20million to fund their pursuit of a new striker, but would not go higher than that price.
Nuno Espirito Santo to be frustrated in January
Brown told Football Insider on 4 December that Nuno wants to strengthen his West Ham squad and has identified four positions which need improvement.
However, the former scout who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment and has worked under the West Ham board previously, revealed it is difficult to convince the club to spent heavily regardless of the team’s position.
“West Ham won’t solve the problems in their squad,” he told Football Insider.
“They want a striker for about £20million, good luck. Doesn’t everyone? They need a top striker who will score them goals, they won’t get one for that price.
“It’s typical West Ham, the way the board there operate, they want to solve a problem but they want to do it as cheaply as they can.
“Instead of brining in quality options to strengthen their squad gradually, they bring in players who aren’t good enough for a lower price.
“They’ve improved since Nuno came in, they look like a better side, but they will never make progress until they’re willing to spend properly.
“And the big thing for me is, they’ll go and spend £20million on a striker, then £15 million on a centre-back, £15million on a midfielder.
“Then you’ve spent £50million, and your squad is no better off because the players you’ve brought in on the cheap aren’t better than what you’ve got.
“So they’d have been better off spending that £50million on a real top player who they know will improve them, but you can’t tell them that, they don’t listen.
“The club will keep going backwards unless they’re willing to show a bit of ambition.”
West Ham set sights on Josh Sargent deal
Top of Nuno’s list of potential additions is that of a new striker, with a number of high-profile targets on their radar ahead of the mid-season window.
Concerns about Callum Wilson‘s fitness and Niclas Fullkrug‘s long-term future at the club have forced them to assess a number of options in the market.
As a result, Football Insider exclusively revealed on 15 December that West Ham have been tracking Josh Sargent and scouts have been impressed by his displays.
The Hammers believe Sargent would be within their budget, and there is a feeling that his physicality and work ethic would make him a top option for Nuno’s plans.
The U.S.A international has scored six goals and provided three assists in 20 Championship games this season, following last term’s tally of 15 goals in 32 appearances.
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