The January transfer window will be vitally important for both West Ham United and Arsenal.
West Ham are Arsenal are in desperate need of some new signings in the January window, in order to give them both a good chance of achieving success during the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.
Julen Lopetegui has made it very clear indeed to the West Ham board that he wants a new striker brought into the London Stadium before the window slams shut.
Arsenal are in the same boat, with Mikel Arteta desperate to bolster his attacking ranks at The Emirates this month.
The Gunners obviously have more spending power than the Hammers, and they are by far the more attractive prospect out of the two clubs right now.
That is what makes the latest transfer news so concerning.
Arsenal to cause West Ham a big January window problem
The Hammers have some serious work to do in the January window.
Our main focus should be getting the signing of a top-class centre-forward over the line before the end of the month.
However, the Gunners appear to have thrown a spanner into the works regarding one of our priority transfer targets.
According to talkSPORT, Arsenal have now thrown their hat in the ring to sign Evan Ferguson from Brighton in January.
That’s a big problem for West Ham, with Lopetegui thought to be very keen to bring the 20-year-old Brighton hitman to the London Stadium this winter.
Described as ‘unplayable’ during his debut season in the Premier League (The Athletic), Ferguson’s form has stuttered over the past year or so.
Despite the 20-year-old’s recent struggles, his sheer quality cannot be denied.
Ferguson is an absolute powerhouse. He’s strong in the air and possesses impressive pace for a big man.
The Republic of Ireland international is a very good finisher as well, in spite of his poor recent goalscoring record.
His tally of 16 goals scored during the 2022/23 season for Brighton proves that he has top-class ability in front of goal.
Ferguson is absolutely perfect for the Hammers – he’s incredibly mobile, has really youthful exuberance that we desperately lack right now and would act as a proper focal point for our attacking play.
With that in mind, Arsenal’s interest in signing him is a big, big blow for us.
There is some good news for West Ham though.
Arsenal have already reached their domestic loan quota limit.
So if they are to sign Ferguson on loan, the Gunners will either have to terminate or make permanent one of their deals for Raheem Sterling or goalkeeper Neto.
Whether they are prepared to act on either of those loan agreements remains to be seen.
Nonetheless, Arsenal’s reported interest in signing Evan Ferguson in the January window is bad news for West Ham regardless.
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