Santo was pleased with the January window overallplaceholder image
Santo was pleased with the January window overall | Getty Images
West Ham are being tipped to go back in for a midfielder they tried to sign in January.
West Ham are said to be interested in a Brazilian midfielder ahead of the summer having already made their interest known this year. The Hammers enjoyed a fruitful winter transfer window, landing Taty Castellanos, Adama Traore, Felipe Pablo, Keiber Lamadrid and Axel Disasi in bid to make the relegation battle a true scrap.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are now six points behind nearest rival Nottingham Forest, who occupy the final safe spot, following their two-goal collapse against Chelsea last time out. But after back-to-back wins and a mostly positive performance against Chelsea, there is a renewed sence of hope for the Iron.
Transfers have helped establish that hope, and it seems the Iron chiefs still have their tenticles out ahead of the summer, with a move for a South American now potentially on the cards. According to Globo Esporte, West Ham are showing real interest in Fluminense midfielder Matheus Martinelli.
The 24-year-old midfielder, who usually operates in the defensive role, was kept in place by Fluminense in January despite reported approaches. West Ham, Besiktas Olympiacos all showed interest, and there is said to have been interest from Saudi Arabia, with at least a couple of offers worth around £10.2million submitted.
With the Brazilian season only just starting, Fluminense were not willing to sell, so a deal will have to wait until at least the summer. For West Ham, whether they have a chance of striking a deal or not will likely depend on whether they stay in the Premier League.
But if they do, there could be a deal on the table as long as they are willing to outbid the rest of those clubs, and Saudi Arabia aside, they should have a chance of doing that, especially given it might only take around £15million-£20million to strike a deal.
Nuno pleased with transfer window efforts
Reflecting on West Ham’s transfer window in his Thursday press conference, Iron boss Santo said: “We brought players in who we considered to make sense to us, in terms of rebalancing our squad. I think the players who came in can help us.
“I think people are aware about the situation with Lucas [Paquetá]. It was difficult, but we needed to find the best solution. Of course, there were other things going on, but it’s a very tricky window to operate in. We have to realise that you can have targets, but other clubs have those targets as well, and it’s not only about what you do.
“January is difficult, and it’s been more about rebalancing and understanding what we need for the last matches of the season. I think we have a committed squad now, we’ve rebalanced and we are able to be competitive. The players who have come in understand the fight we’re in, and they’ve shown the purpose and commitment to come here and help.
“I’m totally convinced we’re going to be OK. I can tell our fans that we are positive, we are working, we are committed, we are aware of the situation and we know the responsibility is on us.”
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