There is now only a week left in the transfer window, and West Ham United’s pursuit of a new centre-half appears to be going nowhere fast.
Charlie Cresswell of Toulouse remains the dream target of many Hammers fans – over 90 per cent, according to the results of a recent Hammers News poll – but news of a bid to rival that of fellow suitors Wolfsburg has not been forthcoming.
Eric Dier is reportedly staying at Monaco. Forgotten Frenchman Axel Disasi could be offered a Chelsea olive branch. Other names reportedly on West Ham United’s list – from the highly-experienced Jamaal Lascelles and Ethan Pinnock to youngsters Tiago Gabriel and Roggerio Nyakossi – have gone a little quiet as well.
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The Hammers have made approaches for all four…
As for El Chadaille Bitshiabu – the RB Leipzig youngster was linked with the Hammers in mid-January – more recent developments out of Germany indicate that his name may have to be scrubbed off a defensive shortlist growing shorter by the day, for all the wrong reasons.
El Chadaille Bitshiabu is not leaving RB Leipzig for West Ham United
Leipzig lost Castello Lukeba to a knee injury before Saturday’s 3-0 win at bottom-of-the-table Heidenheim.
This meant that Bitshiabu stepped in for only a fifth Bundesliga appearance of 2025/26. His first start, meanwhile, since a certain Vladimir Coufal helped Hoffenheim to a 3-1 win over their fellow Champions League chasers in November.
While head coach Ole Werner hopes to have Lukeba back for Leipzig’s next encounter, he also indicated that Bitshiabu has an important part to play between now and the summer.
“Chad is the logical option [to replace Lukeba],” said former Werder Bremen coach Werner. “It’s true that he certainly hasn’t had the playing time he’d hoped for, but now he has his chance to prove himself.
“Chad is a young guy who has already proven what he’s capable of. He’s done well in his appearances this season, and therefore he has our full confidence that he can play good games for us.”
Former PSG kid Bitshiabu had hoped to leave the Bundesliga outfit
BILD claim that Bitshiabu had instructed his agents to find him a club willing to take him on loan.
Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer reportedly put an end to that, however, with the former Paris Saint-Germain starlet now stuck in Germany for at least another few months. The speed of Lukeba’s return will decide how many more chances he will have to impress for the time being.
Described by Football Talent Scout as a defender with ‘world-class potential’, the left-footed Bitshiabu has found opportunities hard to come by since following in the footsteps of Xavi Simons; another ex-PSG prospect who moved to the Red Bull Arena.
This is a deal West Ham may think about revisiting in the summer, especially as Brighton loanee Igor Julio is expected to leave. If not in June, then possibly even in January. Until then, neither Werner nor Schafer appear to have any intention of opening up the floor to offers.
Jean-Clair Todibo and Konstantinos Mavropanos help spark Hammers turnaround
Summerville, Todibo and Mavropanos are firing at last!
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The good news, though, is that Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo were imperious for a second Premier League match running as Sunderland were sent packing at the London Stadium.
“In the first-half, we started really well. The momentum, the energy that the boys put in, the connections, the combinations. We scored, we had good spells of football [and were] dominant in terms of defence,” said Nuno, who saw his team soar into a 3-0 lead through Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen and Mateus Fernandes while refusing to give the Black Cats a sniff at the other end.
“And it was a big improvement in the second-half in terms of managing the game, managing the tempo of the game. We didn’t allow too many situations. They scored [through Brian Brobbey just past the hour] but didn’t go crazy.
We kept the shape, kept organised. And in the second-half, [we drew strength from] the support of the fans, realising that we were in trouble, that we needed energy. When we give, they give back 1,000 times more.
“So overall, it was a very good performance.”
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