by Staff Writer
Thursday, 26th February 2026
Former Hammers coach Stuart Pearce believes the business conducted during the January transfer window by West Ham has given the club a fighting chance of avoiding relegation.
West Ham, currently preparing for the weekend's trip to Anfield - where United have won just once since 1963 - go into the next round of fixtures two points adrift of safety.
However Pearce, who made his name as a player with fellow relegation candidate Nottingham Forest - insists the arrival of players such as Taty Castellanos, Alex Disasi and Pablo - combined with the upturn in form - gives Nuno Espirito Santo a real opportunity to climb the table.
"They look an improvement on what they’ve had, without a doubt," Pearce told Betway.
"Castellanos looks as though he’s got good energy at the front of the team; Disasi is also going to improve the back line, without a doubt. Mateus Fernandes in midfield, who I know is not a new signing, looks as though he’s playing quite well too.
"The trouble is, they’ve got a bit of a gap at the bottom - but the plus side of that is they’re playing with confidence and form now. I don’t know whether that’s tied in with Lucas Paqueta leaving the club, but they seem to have a togetherness at the moment in their play.
"I think they certainly can get some results. It’s going to be a really tight struggle. I think they’re in Forest’s hands a little bit because Forest have got that buffer at the moment, but all it takes is West Ham and Forest to win this weekend and Tottenham to get beaten - then all of a sudden, people will be wondering which way it will go."
And Pearce maintains that, of the three most troubled clubs above already doomed Wolves and Burnley, it is West Ham who appear to have the momentum going into the final quarter of the campaign.
"It’s intriguing for all of us as they’re playing with confidence and form," he added. "Out of the bottom three sides, Spurs, Forest and West Ham – they’re probably playing with the most confidence at present.
"They just need to be more solid defensively - they’ve got to make sure that they can grind out result to nil anytime they need to, if they possibly can. They look as though they’ve become a little bit more solid.
"They looked very flimsy from corners and set plays earlier in the season, but I think with [Tomas] Soucek in the team more consistently, he helps solve that problem."
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