3rd February 2026 Daniel Luker (@danielluker_)
By Conor Hogan
West Ham’s move for Spurs goalkeeper Antonín Kinský didn’t end up materialising, but wouldn’t have been a good move for the Hammers?
The Czech international looked set for a loan move to the London Stadium before deadline day. At one point, it even looked like Hammers summer signing Mads Hermansen was going the other way, but both keepers will be staying put at their respective clubs.
Kinský moved to London from Slavia Prague in January last year for around €16 million, but his game time has been limited under both Ange Postecoglou and Thomas Frank.
The Czech has played only 12 times for Spurs since his move, conceding 19 goals.
However, Spurs fans seem frustrated that the young goalkeeper hasn’t been given more opportunities, especially amid the poor form of Guglielmo Vicario.
A move for Kinský would have been plausible for the Hammers, who have often taken an interest in Slavia players. Tomáš Souček, Vladimír Coufal, Alex Král and El Hadji Malick Diouf all made the switch from Prague to Stratford, and the Spurs man could have followed suit.
Kinský may have been a shrewd signing for Nuno Espírito Santo’s side. Alphonse Areola has been inconsistent this season, and the club appears to have no faith in summer signing Hermansen, who hasn’t played a league game since Nuno’s arrival in September.
The Czech would have continued the Irons’ recent trend of signing youth for the future, and with Areola turning 33 this month, acquiring a promising young goalkeeper could have benefited the Hammers.
However, Kinský is still a relatively unknown quantity. He has played only six Premier League games and is yet to be capped at senior level for his country. If the Spurs man had come in and become the Irons’ No.1, it would have been a huge risk for Nuno, especially during a relegation crisis.
Areola and Hermansen are far from perfect, but West Ham require reinforcements in other positions, and their domestic loan slot would have been better utilised on an attacking midfielder and a centre-back, especially after the release of Igor Julio back to Brighton.
It has been a frustrating window for Nuno’s side, and while Kinský is well rated among Spurs fans, missing out on the Czech is no great loss — especially when the Irons had a move for Axel Disasi to prioritise.