Who else could West Ham have signed in the January transfer window?placeholder image
Who else could West Ham have signed in the January transfer window? | Getty Images
West Ham United had a busy January window - but could they have done more?
West Ham United were one of the more active sides in the Premier League across the January transfer window, as can only be imagined considering the Hammers’ perilous position in the bottom three of the division.
The east London side have not been in the Championship since 2011/12 and are hoping to extend that run further, though their task looked an extremely uphill one after successive defeats to relegation rivals Wolves and Nottingham Forest in early January.
Three wins in a row in all competitions followed, though, then an unfortunate defeat at Chelsea where the Hammers went 2-0 up but were defeated by a stunning Blues comeback which was little fault of their own. West Ham’s winter business has played a role in their upturn, with £45m striker duo Pablo and Taty Castellanos making an impact. Adama Traore signed on a permanent deal from Fulham, while Axel Disasi signed on loan from Chelsea on Deadline Day and young Venezuelan Keiber Lamadrid also arrived for the remainder of the season. But the sale of Lucas Paqueta to Flamengo meant there was more money to spend - who else could the Hammers have added in their battle to avoid the drop?
West Ham linked with Raheem Sterling and Arsenal starlet
West Ham were involved in several transfer stories throughout the window, and we had a look at a few players who could have arrived at the London Stadium in January but ultimately did not. One of those is someone who could yet sign – Raheem Sterling.
The former England winger was released by Chelsea in the final days of the window, seeing his contract terminated after a suitor could not be found in time for the exiled Blues star. But this only came after a reported transfer attempt by West Ham had been knocked back. The Hammers arrived with a loan offer for the 31-year-old, which did not satisfy either of Sterling or Chelsea. The player is believed to desire a move within London, where his family are settled – could he still secure a move to the Hammers as a free agent?
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were not done there when it came to attempting to recruit from their London rivals, amidst reports that the Hammers also made an offer to sign Ethan Nwaneri on loan from Arsenal for the remainder of the season. Again, this was duly rejected and the 18-year-old has moved to Marseille on loan instead. The pull of a move to the south of France is clear – but the belief may still persist that West Ham could have done more to persuade the Gunners wonderkid to make the move across London. Obtaining more Premier League experience and close enough by that Arsenal would have been able to keep an eye on him, this could have been an attractive proposal but it did not pay off.
Hammers looked to secure additional forward signing
Despite their extensive outlay on forward players at the beginning of the window, West Ham continued to be linked with signing another striker until the very last of the window. One player who was a reported Hammers target was Jhon Duran, formerly of Aston Villa and currently on loan at Fenerbahce from Al-Nassr. The east Londoners were touted by reports as potential suitors for the 22-year-old alongside Everton, Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest, but he ultimately did not go anywhere mid-season.
Premier League-proven, fearless and capable of winning games on his own, the value of signing Duran was clear despite the Hammers’ existing attacking options. Whether he may return to England in upcoming transfer windows will be intriguing to see.
In addition, West Ham were linked with hijacking Fulham’s move for £27m-rated PSV striker Ricardo Pepi. Similarly to Duran, though, the USA international went nowhere in the end as his current club blocked a move to the Cottagers due to their inability to bring in a replacement before the deadline. While reports do not appear to suggest that West Ham stepped up their interest in the end, they would undoubtedly have received the same conclusion.
In another surprise rumour which emerged late in the window, West Ham were linked with Paris FC and Algeria winger Ilan Kebbal. They were reportedly engaged in a £10m transfer battle as per Football Insider, alongside Sunderland and Championship promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town. The 27-year-old has bagged nine goals and four assists for the newly-promoted Ligue 1 club this term, but a mid-season move did not materialise.
Overall, West Ham can be fairly pleased with their January business if the likes of Castellanos and Pablo continue to impress for Santo’s side. They also strengthened in defence and on the wing and while they could have done even more, Hammers fans will hope they have enough to retain their top-flight status.
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