West Ham are braced for a hectic transfer deadline day as the club line up four potential signings and three exits in what could prove a dream climax to the window for Graham Potter.
West Ham United are back after a beautifully executed 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest blasted away the doom and gloom that had been engulfing the club.
A superb performance which showed grit, spirit, defensive organisation and attacking threat saw the Hammers pick up their first win of the new season with goals from Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Callum Wilson.
The result and performance eases the pressure on Graham Potter, whose tactics and substitutions won West Ham the game.
Now full focus turns to what promises to be a hectic 12 hours for West Ham as the transfer window comes to an end.
West Ham line up four arrivals and three exits on deadline day
The Hammers brought in midfield duo Mateus Fernandes and Soungoutou Magassa in a £60m double deal last week.
That made it six signings for the summer.
But come tonight’s 7pm deadline, Potter is hoping to make it 10.
Fernandes was absolutely superb on his West Ham debut, bringing the kind of energy, athleticism, talent and tenacity that has been sorely missing from the midfield since Declan Rice’s departure.
While the Forest result is hugely encouraging, the Irons are still short in a couple of key areas.
So the next 12 hours could well dictate the Hammers’ hopes and ambitions for the rest of the season.
The good news is the Hammers are planning to make signings with departures expected.
West Ham line up four arrivals and three exits in a dream transfer deadline day.
Departure number one is the key because a decent transfer fee is involved.
Overnight it has emerged that Nayef Aguerd is set to join Marseille in a £17.5m deal.
Hammers News was the first to reveal Aguerd had no interest in playing for West Ham or staying in England this season, following his loan to Real Sociedad last season.
The Moroccan was forced to start the season with the Hammers when interested clubs failed to meet his £17.5m asking price.
Aguerd reportedly refused to play at Forest and it was no coincidence West Ham kept their first clean sheet of the season.
Aguerd out, Cresswell or Harwood-Bellis in for West Ham?
Meanwhile he has been back in France, where he played for Dijon and Rennes, ready to follow Emerson Palmieri to Marseille.
West Ham can only make permanent signings if they bring money in.
The Aguerd cash will enable West Ham to go out and sign a much-needed replacement defender.
All eyes are on English duo Charlie Cresswell and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Southampton boss Will Still issued a brilliant response on West Ham’s interest in Harwood-Bellis.
That move may prove difficult for the Hammers at this late stage.
So West Ham will push to try and sign Cresswell from Toulouse.
The 6ft 3in no-nonsense 23-year-old centre-back was sold by Leeds to the French outfit but could be set for a return to England on deadline day with the Hammers.
A fee of around £13-15m has been mooted for Cresswell, who starred in England’s Under 21 Euro Championship victory in the summer.
The second Hammers exit, which could pave the way for a second new arrival is that of Alphonse Areola.
The fact West Ham have been looking to sign another goalkeeper after the arrival of Mads Hermansen says everything about Areola’s future.
Hermansen cost West Ham a club record £15m fee and is very much Potter’s new number one.
The Dane endured a torrid start to his time in east London with a series of mistakes costing the team goals.
But when Areola came in for him in the Carabao Cup at Wolves, he was no better as the Frenchman gifted them two goals in a 3-2 defeat.
Areola to Galatasaray as Hammers eye Croat ‘keeper duo
Hammers News understands Areola, who earns a whopping £120k per week, is in talks with Turkish giants Galatasaray.
There are even claims a deal has already been agreed for Areola’s deadline day departure.
Whether that is an initial loan with option or obligation to buy or a straight permanent deal remains to be seen.
As Areola’s replacement, West Ham are said to be eyeing Dominik Livakovic from Gala’s rivals Fenerbahce.
The 30-year-old Croatian international would come in as West Ham’s new number two.
West Ham have also been heavily linked with Livakovic’s compatriot Ivor Pandur from Hull City.
Pandur has played in Italy and Holland and is a former Croatia Under 21 international but is yet to earn a senior cap.
At 25 with no senior international caps, Pandur is less experienced than Livakovic.
But last season was the best of Pandur’s career as the reported Hammers target swept the board at Hull’s end of season awards.
The third exit is the one that is really in the balance for the Hammers.
Andy Irving and Guido Rodriguez have both been linked with moves away from the club.
Rodriguez has Espanyol and Real Betis in for him while Irving interests Wrexham and Celtic.
West Ham could sell one of the midfielders, who have been pushed further down the pecking order by the arrivals of Fernandes and Magassa.
But the demands of Irving and his agent look to have scuppered a move to Championship Wrexham.
The Scot also played well when he came on at Forest and is hugely popular in the West Ham dressing room.
So Potter may opt to keep him in the squad and offload Rodriguez instead.
If one or both of them depart then West Ham may be able to push for another midfielder with Quinten Timber a possible deal.
Timber and Boniface could make it dream quartet for Hammers
The final target the Hammers are potentially looking to sign on deadline day is Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface.
The powerful Nigerian striker, who scored against the Hammers when Leverkusen knocked them out of the Europa League last year, is available for transfer after a move to AC Milan collapsed.
Boniface has been heavily linked with a move to east London on several occasions.
The 24-year-old has a history of serious knee injuries and his move to Milan fell through over a collapsed medical.
There are also big question marks over Boniface’s attitude and Potter has repeatedly talked about the need to sign the right characters.
So Boniface appears to be the most unlikely of the possible arrivals on deadline day.
It certainly promises to be interesting with the most likely scenario being two out and two in with the hope being three out, three in and the dream being four in, three out.
All while keeping Paqueta too.
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