There are a multitude of reasons why one reported West Ham United January deal appears to have grown a little cold. And Ollie Scarles is standing right there, reducing the heat on the hob.
As El Hadji Malick Diouf looks forward to an Africa Cup of Nations final – his Senegal outfit will face Morocco in Sunday’s decider – the Hammers will travel to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday without their first-choice left-back once again.
Now, a few weeks ago, a West Ham United side shorn of Diouf’s talents may have been enough to have Nuno Espirito Santo reaching for the sleeping pills.
Ollie Scarles’ recent return to form, then, was well-timed to say the least.
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Of the many, many reasons why the Hammers find themselves seven points adrift in the relegation zone, it would be harsh in the extreme to suggest that Scarles is among them.
But what does this mean for the future, and the potential transfer, of Souffian El Karouani?
The FC Utrecht left-back appeared to be ‘on his way’ to the London Stadium, according to Dutch publication RTV in late-December. Now, as mid-January arrives, these once-sizzling links have been placed on ice.
Ollie Scarles may have cooled West Ham United’s Souffian El Karouani interest
When West Ham were first linked with El Karouani, Diouf was packing his bags and booking his flight to AFCON. Scarles, at the time, had only featured twice in the Premier League throughout the first four months of 2025/26.
An afternoon being pulled from pillar to post by Rayan Cherki in a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City set those alarm bells ringing. Scarles trudged off in tears a few days later, too, when his miskick inside the penalty area led to Fulham’s late winner at the London Stadium.
So Nuno was more ‘delighted’ than anyone to see Scarles bounce back. First, with a Man of the Match performance in the 2-2 draw with Brighton. Scarles was West Ham’s standout performer once again in the 2-1 defeat by Nottingham Forest; so ruggedly impressive defensively that Omari Hutchinson, the trickiest of customers, was hauled off at half-time.
“I think he bounced back. Mistakes [like the one against Fulham] are part of the game,” Nuno said earlier this month.
“We are professionals, we have to react to it. Ollie has our support, he has our confidence. [The come back stronger] shows maturity, it shows a realisation that mistakes are part [of the game]. Put it over your back and move forward.
“I’m delighted for Ollie and thankful for the reception that Ollie got from our fans. It was beautiful to see.”
Scarles to start against Tottenham as El Karouani links cool
Mohammed Kudus is likely to miss Tottenham’s derby clash with his old employers this weekend. Should Scarles start a sixth successive Premier League match – he was given the afternoon off in the FA Cup as Ezra Mayers stepped in – the club’s reigning Young Player of the Year can expect to go eyeball-to-eyeball with Wilson Odobert.
Another good performance and, while West Ham can reportedly snap up El Karouani for a bargain fee of just £3 million, a new left-back may fall even further down the list of priorities.
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The Dutch-born Morocco international has made no secret of his desire to strike while the proverbial iron is hot. El Karouani called West Ham a ‘great club’ when fluttering his eyelashes in the Londoners’ direction. A ‘come and get me plea’, as they used to say.
Unfortunately for a man who sits near the summit of Europe’s assist charts with 15 across all competitions, West Ham’s interest precedes Scarles’ return to prominence, not to mention Mayers’ emergence as a first-team option at left-back.
To think, had Diouf not been on AFCON duty, had Scarles remained stuck on the bench, there is a chance that El Karouani might already be a West Ham player. As it is, while this is still a squad with more holes than a Swiss cheese bagel, a club who ended 2025 with one trusted left-back may suddenly now have three on their hands.
“When you don’t play for a while, I think you can lack confidence. But when you’re around it and the manager is showing trust in you, that gives you a big boost to go and show yourself a bit more,” Scarles told the official West Ham website last week.
“The Fulham match was obviously a tough moment, because the club means a lot to me and I want to win games and do well for the team. But it was important to try and move on and I’ve done my best to respond in the right way since.
“The boys were brilliant with me in that situation, and I appreciate all the messages of support I received from the fans. You’re always going to have lows in football, and it’s important to move on from them positively.
“The manager has shown a lot of trust in me, both before and after my injury, and I’m really thankful to him for that.”
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