West Ham target Reiss Nelson
West Ham target Reiss Nelson
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The Netherlands international secured a mega-money switch to Al-Hilal earlier this month, leaving Nuno Espirito Santo with big shoes to fill on the left-wing.
The position is one of several the club needs to strengthen before the end of the summer transfer window.
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Mateus Fernandes' move to Tottenham leaves a hole in midfield, while there is a desperate to need to add depth to central defence.
With a month left of the transfer window, the Hammers have a lot of work to do on the recruitment front.
There have been no incoming signings to date, apart from Keiber Lamadrid making his loan spell permanent due to an obligation-to-buy agreement.
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There are just two weeks to go until the first weekend of the new Championship season and only a week until the Hammers face Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup 1st Round at London Stadium.
So it's becoming something of a race against time to ensure Nuno's squad is ready and strong enough to earn an immediate return to the Premier League.
Thankfully, things appear to be picking up the pace.
West Ham want Reiss Nelson
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As the search continues for an effective Summerville replacement, Arsenal's Reiss Nelson has emerged as an interesting option.
The Arsenal academy graduate has spent of his career so far playing away from the Emirates Stadium, with loan spells at Hoffenheim, Feyenoord, Fulham and Brentford.
Despite that, the 26-year-old still has 90 Arsenal appearances under his belt, along with eight goals and nine assists.
But with a year remaining on his Gunners contract, it's looking increasingly likely he will be allowed to secure a permanent move away from north London in the near future.
According to ExWHUemployee, though, West Ham are considering Nelson as a possible loan option this summer.
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In a recent update, the Hammers insider said: "West Ham are exploring a few potential loan options for the left-wing position.
"The first one is Reiss Nelson of Arsenal.
"We have been a long-time admirer of the player and he is said to be keen to remain in London and fancies the prospect of playing regularly for us."
Nelson could revive his career at West Ham
Nelson's wish to remain in London certainly explains his past two loan spells at Fulham and Brentford respectively.
However, he failed to make a significant impact at either club.
He appeared only 12 times for Fulham, scoring twice, and netted just one goal in 14 appearances for the Bees.
Those numbers won't fill anyone with much confidence but it does perhaps explain the direction his career is heading in.
Spending every season on loan at a different club, playing a different system, having to adapt to different surroundings, isn't easy for a player who simply wants to be playing every week.
It becomes increasingly difficult to adapt quickly and make a positive impact, especially while knowing he'll probably be playing for a different club in a different system in a year.
Nelson's last two loan spells are perhaps representative of those difficulties, but it also suggests he's not quite up to the level of the Premier League.
What he needs is a home where he knows he'll be playing for more than a year at a time and where he can settle and simply focus on playing every single week.
If that means dropping down to the Championship with West Ham, then Nelson might just find a place where can revive his career.
Indeed, it might be another loan, but it will be a different standard of football in a team where he would be the first-choice left-winger and would be fighting near the top of the division.
Playing every single week will allow Nelson to get into a rhythm where he can thrive, putting himself in the shop window ahead of his Arsenal contract expiring next summer.
Would Reiss Nelson be a good signing? Can he revive his career at West Ham? Does this move excite you? Let us know in the comments below!