If West Ham United are struggling to lure a young Brazilian striker from Cruzeiro or a Manchester United benchwarmer, what chance does Nuno Espirito Santo really have of luring a striker of the quality of Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins?
That was the question put to former Hammers boss Alan Pardew after Erling Haaland fired Manchester City past the Hammers on Saturday.
This latest defeat, coupled with Leeds’ Dominic Calvert-Lewin-inspired, long-throw-themed 4-1 battering of Crystal Palace, means West Ham United will spend Christmas day five points adrift of safety in the Premier League table.
There is also a chance that Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will enter January weaker than they ended December. Niclas Fullkrug could reportedly make his AC Milan debut as early as January 2nd, against Cagliari.
Niclas Fullkrug is Milan-bound! ✈️ 🇮🇹
What deal would you have been happy with? And who should replace him?
As disappointing as Fullkrug has been, battling against the drop with only a 33-year-old Callum Wilson as your centre-forward options, not including young Callum Marshall, would be a damning indictment of a much-maligned recruitment department.
It is no secret that David Moyes wanted Ollie Watkins at the London Stadium before Aston Villa made the inspired decision to spend £28 million on a then-unproven converted winger from Brentford. It was put to Pardew on talkSPORT that West Ham could try their hand again five years later.
Though it is hard to imagine Aston Villa selling – write Unai Emery’s side off in the title race at your peril – or Watkins swapping a potential Premier League challenge for a relegation scrap.
Alan Pardew cannot envisage West Ham United luring Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa
According to The Guardian, Aston Villa made it clear they would only consider selling Watkins for around £60 million. Obviously far beyond the sort of fees West Ham will be spending in January.
“That’s the problem you’ve got, particularly in this January window. Are you going to get a player who wants to, you know, get you out of it? Because he’s got to have that motivation,” Pardew says in response to that Watkins poser.
“And also, you know, can he adjust to the Premier League? Like we’ve said before, we know it’s safer to buy out of the Premier League. It’s more expensive, but it’s safer because you know what you’re going to get.
“But when you buy from a foreign league, can they adjust? Can they come in and do it straight away?”
Fullkrug certainly couldn’t. As he nears a switch to Serie A, the list of possible replacements appears to be growing smaller by the day.
Ivan Toney is staying in Saudi Arabia. Joshua Zirkzee is keen to fight for his place at Manchester United.
Endrick is set to join Lyon on loan from Real Madrid, meanwhile, and Hammers News have been told that Al-Hilal have rebuffed an approach from Marcos Leonardo.
And although recruitment chief Max Hahn has recommended Swansea sharpshooter Zan Vipotnik, chairman David Sullivan has reservations about buying Championship talent. Hahn may have his work cut out, then, even if Vipotnik’s ‘XG’ return is almost Erling Haaland-esque.
Jorgen Strand Larsen will be prohibitively expensive, Hammers News have learned.
Pardew feels Hammers hopes rest on captain Jarrod Bowen
Currently, Pardew is left praying that Jarrod Bowen remains fit enough to start every game, every week. The club’s current head coach is clearly on the same page. Nuno is desperate to have Bowen available for every single minute the Hammers play between now and May.
“If Jarrod Bowen gets injured, wow, they are in big, big trouble,” adds Pardew, who took West Ham to the Premier League and an FA Cup final between 2003 and 2006. “He literally could be the one to get them out of it. He’s that good.
“It’s going to be difficult [to survive at this stage]. I’m close to West Ham, and I know a lot of people who go to games on a regular basis. They are all very, very concerned. There is no one obvious to come back from injury, no one clearly about to hit form.
“It’s a really difficult situation.
How do YOU feel now about Nuno’s West Ham reign? 💡
Does he have a point or is he simply deluding himself?
“They’ve got to do some business, and I really mean it. I said it weeks ago; West Ham, for me, are looking like the third worst team in the division.
“When I look at Leeds, I look at [Sean] Dyche at Nottingham Forest and I look at [Marco] Silva at Fulham; why should West Ham be above any of them?
“Then you’re into the Bournemouths, the Spurs, and the Brentfords of this world. So, they’ve got… they are just not good enough.
“Forget the manager, the squad needs improving!”
West Ham have picked up the second fewest points in 2025
Of all the teams to play every single Premier League match across 2025 – not including this season’s promoted trio or last year’s relegated triumvirate – only Wolves have picked up fewer points than West Ham.
So while Pardew accepts the London Stadium is an issue which hardly helps matters, he believes the main problem is a quality one, rather than a geographical one.
“When you look down the bottom, it really is alarming,” adds the former Newcastle, Crystal Palace and Hull City coach. “Obviously you got three teams promoted and three teams relegated.
“So forget them. [Across the whole of 2025], 17th place [in the annual table] is Wolves. Then, it’s West Ham, which is a bit of a worry. And then it’s Spurs.
“The Hammers got 33 points in 36 games and Spurs got a point a game, 36 points in 36 games over the calendar year. And that, I’m afraid, wow, is not good.”
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