Heading into Sunday's fixtures, West Ham United held a very positive record in the Premier League, perhaps for the first time all season.
Indeed, they were the only side up to that point to have won their last two league fixtures. The Nuno Santo regime may well have been rather doom and gloom so far, but there are some signs now of a brighter future.
West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo-1
The Irons now need to see out the winter transfer window as smoothly as possible but that is easier said than done, especially given the uncertainty surrounding Lucas Paqueta's future at the club.
Still, as far as incomings are concerned, this has been a productive window for the Hammers who are seeking further reinforcement before the window slams shut on February 2nd.
West Ham closing in on more additions
While not much of a headline addition, West Ham are believed to be closing in on another signing with Adama Traore set to swap London clubs, moving from Fulham to link up with Nuno again.
The Portuguese manager coached Adama at Wolves and is keen to work with him again, knowing he can offer plenty of pace and threat in transition.
adama-traore-fulham
He's not the only Premier League player the East Londoners could entice to the London Stadium over the remaining week with a deal for Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil in the works.
Journalist Pete O'Rourke delivered the latest on the situation this weekend, taking to X to reveal that 'West Ham are leading the race' to sign Neil, who was coincidentally left out of Sunderland's squad to face the Hammers on Saturday afternoon.
Dan-Neil-Sunderland
That said, West Ham will have to move quickly with Ipswich reportedly also interested in taking the player back down to the Championship.
Why Dan Neil could be West Ham's new Rice
What West Ham would do for Declan Rice back in the engine room. He is arguably the club's greatest player over the last decade, steering them to that famous Conference League victory before heading to Arsenal.
With the Gunners, he has become one of the best midfielders in the world and put himself in the conversation to win the Ballon d'Or. He is an immovable object in Mikel Arteta's midfield, turning into a box-to-box supremo at the Emirates Stadium.
Declan Rice celebrates for Arsenal
However, once upon a time, Rice was actually a centre-back at youth level before transitioning to become a holding midfielder at West Ham.
He was irreplaceable to the Irons and, arguably, they have still not replaced him. Neil might not have the exact same skillset, but there are certainly similarities between the two, notably in the form of their leadership and maturity.
The Mackems midfielder is only 24 and yet to hit his prime, but he's already captained Sunderland to promotion glory last term. Granit Xhaka may have now usurped him as Sunderland's skipper and thus, he can't get in the team, but that shouldn't deter West Ham.
The fact remains that he's still a mighty fine young player. Like Rice, he possesses natural leadership skills and is certainly a cut above some of the midfielders they've tried replacing him with. We're talking about the likes of Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse here.
Dan-Neil-Sunderland
There may be fears over a Ward-Prowse repeat but Neil certainly looks like he has a higher ceiling. It's not as high as Rice's, of course it isn't, but he's technically composed in possession and capable of breaking things up with aplomb. Comparing Neil's stats with those of Rice's in his final campaign at West Ham tells us plenty.
Dan Neil vs Declan Rice
Stats (per 90)
Chances created
Pass accuracy %
Tackles made
Take-ons completed
Aerial duels won
Ground duels won
Duels won
Interceptions
Stats via Squawka/Opta.
From the metrics selected, there isn't a huge amount to separate between the two. Crucially, when it comes to replacing Rice, Neil won just 0.1 more duels in total last season, while it's impressive that the young English talent comes so close to the former West Ham captain in areas such as chances created and successful take-ons.
Neil might not come with the same layer of box-crashing but they share other traits, perhaps most importantly in the leadership department.
This would certainly be a smart capture as far as West Ham are concerned.
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