West Ham transfer news: Pundit issues £40m Darwin Nunez ‘hot air’ claim after Romano update
Noel Whelan has claimed reports of big bids from West Ham late in the January window were a “load of hot air”.
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, suggested the Hammers lack the financial clout to land their top targets mid-season.
According to Fabrizio Romano (2 January), West Ham saw a late bid of €48million (£40million) for Benfica’s Darwin Nunez rejected.
Football Insider revealed on Sunday (30 January) that West Ham also made a shock enquiry for Brighton forward Leandro Trossard.
Whelan suggested the West Ham recruitment side were just attempting to show they were “trying” to bring in new faces amid fan unrest about a lack of ambition.
“There’s a load of hot air that comes from clubs when they know they’re not going to get a player in,” he told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury.
“The board were just attempting to show that they were trying. If they had the money to meet the asking prices of Nunez, Phillips, Raphinha and these players, they’d have got the deals done. It’s as simple as that.
“The board and recruitment team clearly had a think about what they would be paying for a player. They then decided they didn’t desperately need to get one in.
“It’s a January window. Most of the time, due to finances, it’s not possible to get your number one choice through the door in a January window.
“It’s sometimes better to wait until the summer window.”
West Ham failed to make a signing during the winter window, meaning Michail Antonio remains the Hammers’ only senior striker.
The Irons sit fifth in the Premier League, just one point adrift of fourth-place Man United.
In other news, pundit digs at West Ham fans after Simon Jordan’s transfer bid claim.