Squad depth is never something to be sniffed at, and one suspects Nuno Espirito Santo would relish the chance to bring Abdul Fatawu off the bench if West Ham United need a moment of inspiration.
But as Don Goodman exclusively tells Hammers News, a potential £20 million deal for the Leicester City talisman would make little sense unless there is an obvious place for him in Nuno Espirito Santo’s XI.
Goodman, the former Wolves, Sunderland and West Brom striker who West Ham United fans will hear a lot of next season due to his role as a co-commentator on Sky Sports, feels it would be a waste to have a footballer as talented as Abdul Fatawu on the bench.
If Jarrod Bowen leaves West Ham, who is your DREAM replacement?
Leicester's Abdul Fatawu is an interesting option… 🤔
With Leicester reportedly looking for around £20 million, according to Alan Nixon, the Ghana international would also be an extremely expensive ‘squad option’.
Speaking to Hammers News via TalkSport Bet, though, Goodman can see a scenario in which Crysencio Summerville or Jarrod Bowen leave, and Fatawu is bought with the proceeds.
West Ham United really like Leicester City winger Abdul Fatawu
“It very much depends on who stays. For example, if Crysencio Summerville or Jarrod Bowen leave, then Fatawu would obviously be a very attractive player to bring into the football club,” says Goodman.
“But if Summerville and Bowen stay, then what’s the point in bringing him in, really? Given that they will play week in, week out ahead of him?
“You can’t bring someone like Abdul Fatawu into a Championship team just to be a back-up player. Ultimately, that’s exactly what he would be if he went to West Ham and both Summerville and Bowen stayed.
“At this stage, it’s difficult to say for all the reasons we’ve already discussed regarding who is going to be there and who isn’t. But Fatawu is a quality Championship player, even if we didn’t quite see the absolute best of him last season, to be fair.”
Hammers News can confirm that Summerville has his heart set on Manchester United, setting out his stall in a manner Mateus Fernandes threatened to do but never quite did. Amid claims of a £40 million release clause, a source at the club told us recently that Summerville is valued closer to £50 million.
At the same time, West Ham are increasingly confident that Jarrod Bowen will stay. Swings and roundabouts, as they say.
The issue here is that Fatawu is far more Bowen than he is Summerville. His tally of nine goals and eight assists last term for a relegated Leicester came from his preferred role on the right hand side, cutting in onto his left boot like the Hammers skipper.
In a century of Leicester appearances, the former Sporting Lisbon kid has been recorded playing on the left on just three occasions. Either West Ham repackage him as a versatile, adaptable operator – a la Summerville when shining on the right during the 2026 World Cup – or Fatawu starts on the right and Bowen is shifted into a more central role.
Fatawu is the Hammers’ number one target as Don Goodman sets recruitment demand
These are all hypothetical scenarios right now, of course.
Yet, the fact remains that Fatawu is West Ham’s priority target when it comes to wingers and widemen. Everton’s Dwight McNeil is under consideration, along with Brighton youngster Amario Cozier-Duberry, but Leicester’s number seven is the man at the top of their wishlist.
Nils Koppen speaks! What do you make of his BULLISH West Ham pledge?
Tell us your reaction to his appointment below 👇
Goodman is confident that Nuno can emulate his Championship-winning campaign at Wolves in East London. But to do so, he needs some clarity about what his squad will actually look like come September.
“At this moment, it’s very difficult to make assessments because every squad – not just West Ham’s – is probably going to look very different when the transfer window slams shut at the end of August,” Goodman explains.
“But when you look at the volume of quality players West Ham already have, it’s impressive. They’ve already brought in massive money for Mateus Fernandes, which is brilliant. They also have highly sellable assets in Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville, Valentín Castellanos, Pablo and several other players.
“It is mostly the forwards I’m focusing on because they have hugely saleable assets in that area and you feel that, even if they were to lose two of those four, they’d still have a strikeforce that you would expect to absolutely rip the Championship up, to be honest with you.
“The key to all of football is getting your recruitment right. We say it every single year, it is the teams that nail their recruitment that achieve their ambitions. And when I say nail the recruitment, that applies to retaining and persuading your best players to stay just as much as it does to bringing in new faces.”
Goodman is buying into the idea that relegation might not be a bad thing for West Ham, long-term. A so-called ‘reset’ has been wanted for a long, long time in the capital. If the departures of David Sullivan and Karren Brady light the fuse for a complete overhaul of the club on and off the pitch, well, a season or two spent in the second tier may be worth it
“Everything is in place for West Ham United to reset, because that’s exactly what this has to be. They had to do it before, if you recall, about 12 or 13 years ago. They had to reset, they brought in Big Sam [Allardyce], he got them back up, and they had been in the top-flight ever since.
“Sometimes when you’re a club of West Ham’s stature, a setback like relegation will inevitably catch up to you at some point. It then comes down to how you handle it, go again, and ensure that once you get promoted, you spend the next 15 to 20 years in the Premier League. That will be the ambition.
“Right now, everything is in place for West Ham United to not only finish in the top two, but I think they could probably win the league. But I reiterate; it will all come down to recruitment. “
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
