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Santo wants more new signings | AFP via Getty Images
All the latest transfer news surrounding West Ham as they look to arm Nuno Espirito Santo for a relegation fight.
West Ham are now preparing for their Premier League clash with Chelsea on Saturday as they look to build on their recent momentum. The Hammers have won back-to-back games by beating Tottenham and Sunderland, but league table progress hasn’t been forthcoming due to Nottingham Forest picking up four points during the same time span.
The gap has been narrowed from seven points to five, but with Forest having improved under Sean Dyche, the marginal gain will put into clear focus just how consistent West Ham are going to have to be if they want to haul themselves out of trouble.
Chelsea will be a tough test for the Iron, and in the meantime, the club will continue working on new arrivals to strengthen Santo’s hand, with time running out in the January transfer window. Three arrivals have already been snapped up, but with Forest pushing for new signings themselves, West Ham know they need more. Here we round up all the latest on the transfer front.
Disasi interest
West Ham are said to be interested in a move for Chelsea centre-back Axel Disasi this month, with a loan move on the cards. Disasi was exiled by former Blues boss Enzo Maresca, ordered to train with the club’s youngsters to keep fit.
Since Liam Rosenior’s arrival, Disasi has been welcomed back into the fold, but he is still not expected to be part of Chelsea’s immediate plans. With Rosenior admitting Disasi needs to catch up with his match fitness, a loan deal would suit the Blues and the player, and West Ham could offer the solution.
But according to The Guardian, West Ham will need to cut short the loan deal if Igor Julio in order to pull off the move, given they also want to sign Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky on loan, and only two Premier League loans are allowed.
Julio has only played once in the Premier League, so the Hammers may be willing to make the move, albeit it will cost them a small fee. Disasi will be seen as a much stronger option, albeit he would be arriving without having played this season.
JWP talks
Elsewhere, on the exits front, midfielder James Ward-Prowse is hoping to get some football elsewhere having been exiled, for all intensive purposes, but Nuno Espirito Santo. The experienced midfielder will be seen as a quality option by many other clubs, and according to the Telegraph,Burnley are one of those clubs.
It’s reported that the struggling Lancashire club are hoping to sign Ward-Prowse on loan this month. Ward-Prowse needs football, and West Ham owe it too him, but whether they will sell to a rival five points behind them and trying to catch them in the relegation battle is another matter.
If Ward-Prowse went on to play a key role in a Burnley revival, it would look very bad on the Iron and on Santo.
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