The speculation swirling around Lucas Paqueta, dominating much of the pre-match discussion as West Ham United travel to Tottenham, means that the potential departures of Andy Irving and Guido Rodriguez will hog few headlines in East London.
While Hammers negotiate a potential record deal for their Brazil number ten, little attention will be paid to their seldom-seen Scot or the ageing Argentine.
But, although selling Lucas Paqueta was far from West Ham United’s top priority going into 2026, no one could argue that the Premier League relegation-battlers are not committing themselves to a much-needed overhaul of the club’s playing staff.
What is the best SOLUTION for West Ham over Lucas Paqueta? 👀
Niclas Fullkrug and Luis Guilherme have gone already.
Nuno Espirito Santo appears willing to sell James Ward-Prowse and Mads Hermansen. Callum Wilson’s contract could be terminated, too, following the big-money additions of Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe.
Both Andy Irving and Guido Rodriguez may also find new homes before the February deadline. One, it seems, already has.
Because while discussions with Flamengo are now expected to drag on over the weekend – Nuno hopes to have Lucas Paqueta available for Saturday’s derby – reports from the Czech Republic claim that Irving could become a Sparta Prague player as early as Monday.
Andy Irving is reportedly leaving West Ham United for Sparta Prague
Should Irving, Rodriguez and Ward-Prowse all leave – if not in January then in June or July – four of the five midfielders who featured in West Ham’s squad for the 3-0 opening weekend defeat by Sunderland will have departed.
Leaving only Tomas Soucek.
West Ham have done their fair share of fishing in Czech waters over the years. El Hadji Malick Diouf followed in the footsteps of Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek after winning the title with Slavia Prague. Albion Rrahmani, Rafiu Durosinmi and Mojmir Chytll were linked, too, before Castellanos and Pablo were secured for a combined £44 million.
It’s about time they gave something back. That ‘something’ being a Scotland international who could become a Sparta Prague player within the next 72 hours or so.
iSPORT claim that Irving could jet out to the Czech Republic before being confirmed by Sparta this weekend.
If discussions over Irving’s future have gone from nought to sixty quicker than a supercar on a Top Gear test track, negotiations over Guido Rodriguez’s potential sale have stalled and trundled into the nearest ditch.
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A potential move to Juventus always felt fairly hopeful. According to the Italian oracle that is Fabrizio Romano, Juventus only ever saw Guido Rodriguez as a back-up to their main midfield targets.
“Lots of you are asking us about Guido Rodriguez,” Romano said. “Right now, we don’t see Juventus closing in on Guido Rodriguez. We understand that Guido Rodriguez is, let’s say, a backup for Juve.
“[But] it is an extremely simple, extremely quick deal. He’s a player who isn’t part of West Ham’s plans, a player who has had very limited impact in England, so could be a classic January opportunity that is easy both financially and in terms of time.”
Ciro Venerato now claims that Juve head coach Luciano Spalletti has ‘blocked’ a potential deal for the 31-year-old Argentine [Tutto Juve]. Spalletti wants a younger, more mobile option. Inter Milan box-crasher Davide Frattesi, for instance.
Time will tell, though, whether Nuno is willing to let both Irving and Rodriguez go in the same window. Neither will have a particularly big role to play if they stay put.
But with James Ward-Prowse out of the picture, there is a risk that too many departures could end up backfiring.
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