West Ham United and Newcastle United are worlds apart right now, both on and off the pitch.
That said, Newcastle are still in need of reinforcements in the January transfer window, just like West Ham.
Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo has already completed the signing of Brazilian striker Pablo Felipe while a fee has been agreed for Valentin Castellanos
However, Nuno’s January business at the London Stadium is far from done.
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Numerous more ins and outs are expected at West Ham before the transfer window slams shut on February 2nd.
One particular area of weakness is our central defensive department. It’s no exaggeration to say that the atrocious Max Kilman has been our worst player this season.
Wolves must have been laughing when we paid £40 million for him in the summer of 2024.
However, it seems like a huge upgrade on Kilman could be incoming, and the fact that we seemingly have a great chance of beating Newcastle to his signature makes it all the sweeter.
West Ham could beat Newcastle to Charlie Cresswell
Toulouse centre-back Charlie Cresswell could be heading back to the Premier League this winter, it seems.
The 23-year-old joined Toulouse from Leeds United in the summer of 2024 for around £3.8 million (Leeds Live).
West Ham have been linked with a move for Cresswell, with Nuno’s January business beginning to heat up.
However, Newcastle were strongly linked with a move to sign the former Leeds United man as well (TBR).
That said, those links with the Toon have gone quiet, while West Ham appear to be intensifying their interest in the centre-back.
The Hammers are said to be eyeing a £22 million January move to sign Cresswell from Toulouse (The Athletic).
£22 million sounds like an absolute bargain and now the West Ham board have to do everything in their power to make it happen.
Charlie Cresswell would be a major upgrade on Max Kilman
Toulouse are currently sitting in eighth spot in the Ligue 1 table and a main reason for their fine campaign so far has been Cresswell’s impressive performances.
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The 23-year-old has been an absolute rock at the back for Toulouse.
Football Scout Jacek Kulig once described Cresswell as ‘incredible’ and it’s tough to argue with that assessment.
Standing at 6ft 3in tall, he is a man mountain and he defends with calmness and authority – the exact opposite to how Kilman goes about his business.
In 17 Ligue 1 appearances for Toulouse this season, Cresswell has averaged one tackle, one interception, 6.5 clearances and 1.2 blocks per game.
He’s very good with his feet as well and has an average pass completion rate of 85.8% from 45.7 passes per match on average (Who Scored).
Charlie Cresswell would quite obviously be an outstanding addition for West Ham, and beating Newcastle to the former Leeds defender’s signature would make the deal look even better.
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