Nuno Espirito Santo might have lost his number one defensive target ahead of the January transfer window, but West Ham United remain in the mix for a centre-half with shades of Thiago Silva about him.
French outfit Lille confirmed a few days ago that their £25 million-rated Brazil international Alexsandro had undergone surgery following an injury to his quadriceps.
As such, a potential four-month lay-off awaits the towering centre-back. Bad news for Alexsandro, of course. He had hoped to cement his place in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
But a problem for West Ham United, too.
Hammers News revealed in October that West Ham held positive early talks regarding Alexsandro. Nuno Espirito Santo had also selected the 26-year-old as his first-choice centre-back target in the lead up to the winter window.
A long-term absence, then, drags the Hammers right back to square one. Although there is another big, beefy, Ligue 1-based central defender with admirers at the London Stadium.
Toulouse reportedly rejected a West Ham bid for England Under-21 colossus Charlie Cresswell over the summer. That is just one of many offers Les Violets are destined to receive, with European football expert Andy Brassell drawing comparisons between Cresswell and the legendary Thiago Silva.
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Andy Brassell draws Thiago Silva comparisons with West Ham United target Charlie Cresswell
After TBR Football reported that Liverpool and Manchester City are now on the trail of the Leeds United academy graduate, some rather pessimistic West Ham fans fear they have missed the boat.
TalkSPORT though, say that those in charge at the London Stadium do not share that pessimism.
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They remain very much in the mix for a defender who, ironically enough, would maybe walk into Daniel Farke’s current, increasingly-porous backline at Elland Road.
“Charlie Cresswell is not new,” Brassell says. “He’s been in France for a couple of years now, and he’s settled. He knows the league. I think his physical power lends to it pretty well as well. What’s becoming clear is this is a bit of a breakout year for him.
“Not just because it’s an improved Toulouse team, but because he’s at this stage now where not only is he defending very, very well, but he’s making the most of his strength and power at set pieces.”
Cresswell has actually scored six goals in his last 25 Ligue 1 appearances, with three of those coming this term. Only Ludovic Ajorque, Brest’s 6ft 5ins beanpole of a number nine, wins more aerial duels per game on average.
The Preston-born Cresswell sits joint-top, as well, with the most goal contributions of any centre-back in Europe’s major leagues across 2025/26. It is this which reminds Brassell of Thiago Silva in his AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea days.
“It sort of recalls, like a Thiago Silva,” he adds. “Someone who’s a real threat in the opposition penalty box, who’s got real smarts about him.”
Speaking to TBR Football recently, Hammers News’ chief football correspondent Graeme Bailey indicated that Toulouse may be willing to accept a bid in the region of £15 million.
Per Alan Nixon, West Ham’s Cresswell offer back in August was not too far off that figure. Yet, that £13 million bid was part of a loan-to-buy arrangement. Toulouse, it seems, want to see their asking price paid up front.
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The Occitania outfit finished in the top half of France’s first division last season for the first time since 2013/14. Brassell points out that anything higher than tenth would be pretty much unprecedented in recent times, then, meaning a return to UK soil may be required if Cresswell is to really establish himself as a big name on both the domestic and the international stage.
“For me, before Charlie Cresswell gets into the full England squad, he’s going to have to make a step up from Toulouse,” Brassell argues. “Toulouse aren’t going to qualify for Europe anytime soon unless they go and win the Coupe de France.
“So there’s a real limit to what he can do there.
“I’m imagining if he completes this season the way he started it, he will get a move to a bigger club, be that a club in France or somewhere else on the continent or a sort of mid-table Premier League team.”
Like West Ham, for instance.
Cresswell certainly seems more attainable, and affordable for that matter, than some of the other names mentioned in the media. Hammers News have been told that Yann Bisseck has no plans to leave Inter Milan for a club facing up to a long battle against relegation. And that is without mentioning the reported £27 million bid Crystal Palace had rejected last summer.
“He’s good, but it’s difficult for people to judge [Cresswell’s] true level until he’s with a team that’s challenging for Europe or for trophies,” the expert concludes.
“It’s very impressive that he came [to France], and he had to really fight his way into the team. But it’s not the sort of achievement that’s so undeniable that it’s going to catapult him directly into the England set up.”