Nuno Espirito Santo has his heart set on securing more attacking talent in January.placeholder image
Nuno Espirito Santo has his heart set on securing more attacking talent in January. | Getty Images
West Ham United are set to target a new striker in January to solve goalscoring woes
West Ham United have made a worrying start to the 2025/26 season and will need to turn things around quickly if Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are to avoid their Premier League status being at risk.
The Hammers have stayed comfortably in the division ever since promotion via the Championship play-offs in 2011/12, and it would be no less than a disaster if the east London side were to find themselves in the second tier just three seasons after winning the UEFA Conference League in 2023.
Nuno has been trusted with turning this around, but major holes still exist both at the back and in attacking areas. While captain Jarrod Bowen remains a major threat - and has demanded improvement from team-mates - and the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Crysencio Summerville offer additional creativity, there have not been enough striker options for the Portuguese head coach to choose from amidst continual fitness issues surrounding Callum Wilson and Niclas Fullkrug. Another striker has become a priority for the Irons in January as a result.
West Ham boost as Joshua Zirkzee Man United exit update given
Fabrizio Romano has given an update on the situation surrounding West Ham target Joshua Zirkzee at Manchester United, reporting for GiveMeSport that Zirkzee’s future at Old Trafford could be “one to follow” with a potential departure if his playing time under Ruben Amorim does not improve quickly.
It is believed that the former Bologna forward is not a major part of the head coach’s plans at United, as he has played just 82 minutes in the league so far this season within four cameos off the bench, one of which was enforced after Matheus Cunha went off injured against Burnley. With the World Cup on the horizon, the 24-year-old needs minutes and West Ham are reported to be one of the clubs prepared to give him that.
The report states that West Ham made contact over a possible deal for Zirkzee recently but were told that the Netherlands international wants to fight for his place at Old Trafford. Amorim may also prefer to keep him due to the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo going off to AFCON duty in the winter, complicating the situation further.
Zirkzee will not cause an issue but situation ‘must be monitored’
Romano continued: “First of all, it’s important to clarify that Zirkzee isn't creating any problems and hasn’t said anything to Amorim about any issues. He is working hard to get more game time and help the squad, while he is always being positive with his teammates and is a really appreciated figure in the dressing room.
“At the same time, his situation must be monitored because the striker is not playing much and he doesn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to compete at the World Cup with the Netherlands.
“So what about January? At the moment, Zirkzee is focused on Manchester United and trying to get more space. He is training at his best, but if the situation doesn’t change by December, this story could be one to follow.”
Zirkzee enjoyed a near-perfect start to his Old Trafford career when he scored the winning goal against Fulham on his Premier League debut in August 2024, soon grabbing a goal and an assist on his first international start the following month. For this he earnt significant praise from Dutch pundit and former Eredivisie star Hans Kraay Jr.
“He passes it with exactly the right speed, so that Reijnders can curl it with his inside,” said Kraay Jr. “Zirkzee is so intelligent. He not only passes it on the run, he also passes it in such a way that it is not too hard and ends up on Reijnders’ left. I think that is so beautiful.”
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