You can rest assured, West Ham United will be making signings in January as Nuno Espirito Santo looks to keep his hopes of Premier League survival alive.
But who and how many, well, we can only guess at this stage. Albeit an educated guess, taking into account the talks West Ham United have held, the budget that is likely to be available to them, and the type of player who may feel that even a side stuck in the relegation zone would represent a step forward in their careers.
Hammers News reported back in October, just two weeks after Graham Potter was replaced, that Nuno Espirito Santo wanted a striker. In fact, Potter’s successor has made a new number nine his top priority.
No surprises there.
While Milan are set to sign Niclas Fullkrug on an initial loan deal, albeit one which could become permanent for around £14 million next summer, the German’s departure will remove around £90,000 from the weekly wage bill.
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And which changes would you make to our XI?
Zan Vipotnik earns a whole lot less than that in South Wales, of course.
It is understood that Head of Technical Recruitment and Analysis Max Hahn has recommended Vipotnik to West Ham. A bonafide ‘XG’ monster, Vipotnik had the best record in Europe outside of Erling Haaland back in 2023.
Flash forward to 2025, and he has scored nine Championship goals for struggling Swansea from an XG of just 3.87.
Swansea’s Zan Vipotnik feels like an attainable striker for West Ham United
It is no secret that David Sullivan has reservations about EFL signings, but the Slovenian sharpshooter could yet become the most likely centre-forward acquisition with numerous other targets proving difficult to snare.
According to Globo Esporte, West Ham had a bid for Kaio Jorge rejected last week. They reportedly offered Cruzeiro a loan-to-buy deal worth up to £21 million. Even if the Brazilian outfit had accepted it, Kaio Jorge is clearly in no rush to leave for another spell in Europe having barely featured during a stint with Juventus.
Roma appear to be in pole position for Joshua Zirkzee, Chris Wood is struggling with injury, Endrick is set for Lyon, Promise David wants to stay at Union Saint-Gilloise, and Chelsea have already signed Emanuel Emegha. Al-Hilal rebuffed a West Ham approach for Marcos Leonardo, too, as Ivan Toney commits himself to Al-Ahli.
Jorgen Strand Larsen of Wolves is admired, but would be very expensive.
It would premature to say all roads are leading to Swansea. But Hahn’s Vipotnik wish may come true as the alternatives slip away.
Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell would be an upgrade on Max Kilman
Eagle eyed readers will have spotted another trio of rather unfamiliar names on our prospective post-January XI.
Another nail was hammered into Max Kilman’s coffin during a calamitous showing against Manchester City. A replacement centre-back is arguably more important than a centre-forward right now.
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West Ham had a £13m bid rejected by Toulouse last summer for England Under-21 colossus Charlie Cresswell. The Londoners are not taking ‘no’ for an answer.
West Ham now hope to get ex-Leeds starlet Cresswell in the building at the beginning of January. Time is of the essence, and the longer Kilman is starting Premier League matches, the shorter the relegation odds will become.
Cresswell wins 91 per cent of his defensive duels compared to Kilman’s miserable 24 per cent. His aerial duel success rate of 76 per cent is also a massive improvement on Kilman’s 29 per cent.
No West Ham centre-back has scored a Premier League goal since Kurt Zouma in September 2023, meanwhile. The Preston-born, 6ft 4ins, £22 million-rated Cresswell has seven in 50 matches since joining Toulouse. Not only a fine, aerially dominant central defender, but also one of Europe’s most prolific.
Hammers News can confirm that Nuno made Alexsandro of Lille his top choice after taking over. However, a recent injury to the Brazil international means his Ligue 1 rival now appears to be the number one pick.
Eredivisie star Souffian El Karouani could battle El Hadji Malick Diouf
If Cresswell is unlikely to come cheap at £20 million plus, the good news is that West Ham could land both Souffian El Karouani and Tochukwu Nnadi without having to break the bank.
RTV Utrecht believe that ‘assist king’ El Karouani is ‘on his way to West Ham’.
El Karouani appears keen on a Premier League switch, too, in the knowledge that it should boost his hopes of a starting spot at the 2026 World Cup for Morocco.
“There’s a chance. We’ll see in the coming days,” says a left-back who has a staggering 15 assists in 29 games this season for FC Utrecht. “There is something going on. That’s no secret, and I’m not going to be secretive about it.
“The clubs have contacted Jordy [Zuidam, Utrecht’s technical director], and we’ll see from there. Whether the right club is among them, I’m going to weigh that up for myself now, and then we’ll see how it goes.”
El Karouani is out of contract next summer, and will therefore be available for a knockdown fee. Should he arrive as soon as the window opens, the Dutch-born set-piece specialist could provide some invaluable cover for El Hadji Malick Diouf during the remainder of this year’s African Cup of Nations.
Speaking of AFCON, Nuno might well see Tochukwu Nnadi in action for Nigeria during the tournament.
Mark Noble is reportedly driving West Ham’s Tochukwu Nnadi pursuit
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Signing Tochukwu Nnadi might be a very good start…
Africa Foot reported that West Ham have scouted Nnadi on numerous occasions this season. Representing Zulte Waregem in Belgium, sporting director and one-time midfield maestro Mark Noble is allegedly a big fan of the all-action 22-year-old.
While far from the finished article – Nnadi collects more cards than your average Pokeman scalper – taking a punt on a youngster from the Belgian league would indicate West Ham’s switch towards a more youth-focused, potential-driven approach to recruitment.
Africa Foot believe West Ham are considering a deal worth a bargain £3.5 million, while offering a five-year contract.
You may notice, meanwhile, that we have handed Nnadi the number 21 shirt. That is the number he wears for Zulte Waregem, and one which has been absent at the London Stadium since Wes Foderingham upped sticks and left for Cyprus.
El Karouani dons the number 14 vacated by Mohammed Kudus. Cresswell gets Nayef Aguerd’s old number four. We have also given Vipotnik the number 11 shirt Fullkrug will leave behind when he jets off to Italy.
Four new signings, in four key positions. Whether Vipotnik, Cresswell, El Karouani and Nnadi would be enough to save West Ham’s skin is anyone’s guess. But the Hammers will not give up their top-flight status without some kind of fight.
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