Don Hutchison, when watching West Ham United fail to even lay a sliver of fabric on Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City let alone an entire glove, could not help but come to the same conclusion as Nuno Espirito Santo.
Make no mistake, the head coach is fully aware of the need for attacking reinforcements.
Hammers News reported back in October, just two weeks after he replaced Graham Potter, that Nuno Espirito Santo was demanding a striker already.
West Ham United will be one number nine down, as well, when Fulham arrive two days after Christmas. Niclas Fullkrug arrived in Italy on Tuesday before putting pen to paper on a loan-to-buy arrangement with AC Milan.
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This means that 33-year-old Callum Wilson will be the only senior, natural centre-forward at Nuno’s disposal come December 27th. Much to the bemusement of talkSPORT co-hosts Ally McCoist and Gabby Agbonlahor, meanwhile, Nuno has taken to benching Wilson while shoehorning Jarrod Bowen into a position which wastes his ball-carrying talents.
Hutchison, then, cannot help but feel that his old employers would benefit from the return of a familiar face, even if Evan Ferguson’s loan spell in East London last season was very little to write home about.
Don Hutchison wishes Evan Ferguson was still at WestHham United
Ferguson went nearly 30 games without a goal for Brighton, West Ham and now AS Roma.
But after finally breaking his duck in a 3-1 win at Cremonese, Brighton-owned Roma loanee looks like making up for lost time. He has now scored three goals in his last three starts, including a clinical Europa League brace against a beleaguered Celtic.
According to Claret & Hugh, West Ham pressed ahead with the signing of Republic of Ireland starlet Ferguson thirteen months ago fully aware that he was stillƒ struggling with the after-effects of a serious knee injury which had brought a shuddering halt to his once-skyrocketing trajectory.
Hutchison, who had two spells at Upton Park from 1994 to 2005, would be at the front of the queue to welcome a fully-fit Ferguson back now though.
“There was talk of Evan Ferguson coming back to West Ham on loan,” the former Liverpool, Everton and Scotland midfielder told Premier One Hub. “That’s exactly what they need.
“It’s clear what Nuno needs, reinforcements, he needs better players to work with.”
While there was speculation that Brighton could re-call Ferguson from his Serie A stint, those rumours have dissipated on the back of some improved displays in recent weeks.
He remains one of only four players ever to score a Premier League hat-trick aged 18, alongside Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Chris Bart-Williams. At just 21, and following a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Ferguson does not deserve to have his reputation irreparably damaged by a short-lived spell at West Ham when he was far from match sharpness.
West Ham look likely to sign Fulham’s Adama Traore and FC Utrecht’s Souffian El Karouani
As things stand, while a Fullkrug replacement is obviously the priority, Fulham winger Adama Traore may be the first to arrive at the London Stadium on Nuno’s watch.
Traore, who provided a career-best tally of nine league assists under Nuno at Wolves in 2019/20, could be followed by one of Europe’s most productive full-backs.
West Ham are expected to bring in Souffian El Karouani from FC Utrecht, according to Dutch publication RTV.
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“He has a truly amazing left foot,” former Dutch international Van der Gijp tells Vandaag Inside of El Karouani, who has produced a staggering number of assists this season already.
“Hardly any free kicks end up with an opponent.”
There is reportedly interest from Frankfurt and Marseille too, though El Karouani batted his eyelashes at West Ham this week while suggesting he may have already played his final game in the colours of Utrecht.
“It’s a goal of mine to reach the World Cup,” said the Dutch-born Moroccan “Going to a bigger club can also make a difference. A club might come along in January, buy me, and I’ll play every game there.
“Or I might play every game here. That’s also a possibility. It could go either way. But I want a win-win situation for FC Utrecht.
“They can make some money off me. I want to leave through the front door. I will sit down with my father and agent and assess the situation. But first, I’ll focus on these [final matches of 2025].
“[A move to West Ham] could happen. It’s a great club. My agent is working on my behalf. I’m waiting to see what happens. I can look back on a wonderful year in Utrecht.”
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