Provided he gets the time to do so between West Ham United’s busy festive fixture schedule, Nuno Espirito Santo plans to spend much of his downtime tuning into this year’s African Cup of Nations.
Despite representing Portugal’s youth sides during his goalkeeping career, Nuno Espirito Santo was born in Sao Tome and is rightly proud of his Central African heritage.
So, as Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf prepare to jet out to AFCON and represent the DR Congo and Senegal respectively, the West Ham United head coach is looking forward to seeing how his full-back duo get on over the next few weeks.
Wan-Bissaka and Diouf should start against Aston Villa on Sunday. But this may be their final club appearance of 2026. Ollie Scarles, then, has timed his return to training pretty well.
Now, with Tochukwu Nnadi one of five new faces in the Nigeria roster, the 35th edition of Africa’s biggest football tournament may also give Nuno the chance to take a closer look at a midfielder on West Ham’s radar.
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Nuno Espirito Santo could see West Ham United-linked Tochukwu Nnadi in Nigeria action
Africa Foot reported a few days ago that West Ham have scouted Tochukwu Nnadi on a number of occasions this season.
The 22-year-old midfielder plays in Belgium for Zulte Waregem. Sporting director Mark Noble is understood to have taken a liking to Nnadi, and is therefore driving their pursuit.
Africa Foot add that the Hammers are lining up a potential £3.5 million winter swoop. Nnadi, who joined Zulte Waregem from Bulgarian outfit Botev Plovdiv and may be available for a bargain fee, is reportedly under consideration for a five-year contract in East London.
Now, Nuno insisted during his Friday press conference that he will be watching AFCON to enjoy a typically thrill-a-minute tournament, rather than to run the rule over transfer targets. But should the Belgian League battler force his way into Nigeria’s starting XI while helping the Super Eagles add a fourth title to their collection, Noble will not be the only Tochukwu Nnadi fan at West Ham.
“Of course [I will be watching AFCON], especially the matches our players will be involved in,” Nuno said ahead of Sunday’s clash with Premier League form side Aston Villa. “But normally, I see all the competition.
“The African Cup of Nations is always very enjoyable because the games are open and you can see good actions.
“I don’t go there to work, just to enjoy the football.”
Mark Noble is reportedly driving West Ham’s Nnadi pursuit
It is easy to see why Noble may have taken a liking to young Nnadi. A highly energetic, tough-tackling midfielder, the former skipper may see a bit of himself in the youngster.
“That [aggression] is partly his strength,” Zulte Waregem coach Sven Vandenbroeck told Het Laaste Nieuws of Nnadi, who has picked up 30 yellow cards in a century of first-team appearances in Europe.
“He’s one of the few who stands out in this team. We need him, but of course I also realise that the number of cards he receives could be a problem.”
If West Ham really can land him for just £3.5 million, Nnadi would add an affordable, promising option to Nuno’s midfield options. Andy Irving is expected to leave the London Stadium in 2026 alongside Guido Rodriguez. Tomas Soucek, meanwhile, is proving to be more impactful as an orthodox number nine these days than when positioned in a deeper role.
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As for the absences of Wan-Bissaka and Diouf, Nuno may be expected to field Kyle Walker-Peters alongside the returning Scarles for the next few weeks.
“We are going to miss them,” Nuno said. “It’s something we are going to have to deal with as a squad, and find solutions inside the squad to compensate.
“We have natural full-backs. Oliver is back in training this week. He is another option for us. We will deal with that after. For now, they are involved in the game [against Villa].
“They have been playing and helping the team, so these are two players we are going to miss.”
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