West Ham United won’t have needed reminding about the size of the task facing them in the January transfer window, as a battle looms with Serie A giants Juventus, Inter, and AC Milan.
Yet, one of the most experienced technical directors in the Italian game has wasted no time in making an already difficult challenge look like trying to take on Mount Everest in only socks and slippers.
West Ham United appear to be targeting central defensive additions during the January window. Hammers News can confirm that talks have taken place with Charlie Cresswell at Toulouse and Alexsandro at Lille – the Brazil international was Nuno’s first-choice – though another name has appeared in the frame this week.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, West Ham made a £15.8 million bid for Tiago Gabriel a few days ago. The 20-year-old Lecce giant who plays alongside Mateus Fernandes for Portugal’s Under-21s.
Juventus have reportedly opened discussions with Gabriel too, though. Inter, Milan, Roma, Atalanta and even Brentford have also been mentioned as suitors for the Sporting Lisbon academy graduate.
And just to make a winter deal feel even more ambitious, Lecce technical director Pantaleo Corvino has now set out a very hardline stance.
Pantaleo Corvino says Lecce will not let West Ham United sign Tiago Gabriel
Speaking to Tuttosport, Corvino insists that Gabriel is going nowhere in the opening weeks of 2026.
“A club like ours must work on his potential. Many people like him, not just Juventus,” says the director, confirming that interest has indeed been relayed to him by the Bianconeri.
“The boy is strong. We’ve been patient and lucky [with his development]. But be careful, he’s staying here for this year. He’s too important a player to [lose if we want to] achieve our goal.
“We mustn’t lose sight of him.”
That ‘goal’, presumably, is Serie A survival. Lecce are 15th, but only three points clear of the relegation zone.
The exceptional performances of Tiago Gabriel have Eusebio di Francesco’s side threatening to climb the table, however, with their recent progress built upon a solid defensive foundation. Lecce have kept four clean sheets in their last six matches.
Gabriel could be the Craig Dawson replacement West Ham need
It is easy to see why West Ham like him.
A 6ft 4ins giant who ranks in the 98th percentile when it comes to winning ‘aerial duels’, Tiago Gabriel may be the Craig Dawson replacement the Hammers so clearly need. If Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo cannot stop West Ham conceding from crosses, then signing a defender who takes aerial dominance to the extreme would surely be a step in the right direction.
Which position do West Ham need to strengthen the most and why? Who is your dream January signing?
“He was a true warrior,” Daniel Rosendo, who coached the youngster back in Portugal at Estrela de Amadora, told Zero Zero recently.
“He’s a player with an enormous stride. We taught him to read the game, to anticipate situations, to organise the defence, how to occupy space, to be on top of the player, to lead the line. With these tactical concepts, you can overcome any difficulties he might have in agility and acceleration.”
Will Konstantinos Mavropanos return for Bournemouth clash?
West Ham’s most aerially dominant centre-half – Konstantinos Mavropanos – has missed the last three Premier League matches with a torn thigh muscle. Nuno hoped Mavropanos would return in time to face AFC Bournemouth on Saturday.
If the Greek international is still unavailable, though, Nuno is likely to field Kilman on the right and Todibo on the left again. He swapped over the defensive duo with great effect against Newcastle, though those old failings crept back in against Burnley.
“[It is not the case that this] was only the problem. Switching the players and we solve the problem. It’s not [the case],” Nuno said a fortnight ago when explaining why he had altered his defensive make-up.
“[Swapping Kilman and Todibo around] is just a detail we think can help our game defensively. We are going to try and do it.”
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