West Ham United are said to be eyeing a move for the former Barcelona forward ahead of the winter, with the club reportedly planning a January transfer to boost new manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
West Ham make January transfer plans to sign Nuno
West Ham missed out on their first win under Nuno after taking charge away after drawing with Everton and losing to Arsenal, who are chasing the Premier League title, but there are some small signs of improvement.
“He certainly seemed to want to go back to basics and try to simplify things, and the team responded to that,” former Everton CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider after Nuno’s debut in the Hammers’ dugout on Merseyside.
“Last night they looked like a team on the brink, but in the second half they looked like a team that had something. They had a lot more chances than they normally would. So maybe they’re dealing with the fundamentals.”
“Certainly Nuno has gone back to being nonsensical and I think the team and the fans reacted to that on Monday night.
Arsenal are currently the in-form team in the division and despite West Ham winning two of their last two Premier League games at the Emirates, delivering results will always be a tall order for Nuno.
There’s little to do so far, but it could be argued that West Ham already look slightly less vulnerable than they did under manager Graham Potter.
West Ham’s Premier League results so far |
|---|
Sunderland 3-0 West Ham |
West Ham 1-5 Chelsea |
Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham |
West Ham 0-3 Tottenham |
West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace |
Everton 1-1 West Ham |
Arsenal 2-0 West Ham |
David Sullivan and the Hammers bosses handed the Portuguese a three-year contract in a public statement of support for West Ham’s new head coach, largely thanks to vice-chairman Karen Brady, who backed Nuno (Alex Crook).
Sullivan was in favor of reappointing Slaven Bilic on a short-term interim deal, but reports suggest West Ham are prepared to back him with a new signing in January after Nuno instead showed long-term confidence.
So far, the consensus is that the Irons are considering attacking options, with Milan forward Christian Pulisic, Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini, Galatasaray’s Baris Yilmaz and Man United’s Joshua Zirkzee all mentioned as potential transfer candidates for West Ham.
It’s clear why they are also considering signing a new forward.
So far, only Nottingham Forest and bottom-of-the-table Wolves have scored fewer league goals than West Ham, and based on their overall play, they are in dire need of creativity.
Adama Traore could decide to move to West Ham following Nuno’s arrival
Former Barcelona and Wolves forward Adama Traore was linked to great effect alongside Nuno at Molineux, but has been linked with a move to the London Stadium following his former manager’s move to the stadium.
The Spain international, who currently plays for Fulham, has played bit parts under manager Marco Silva so far this season and could leave for free at the end of this season when his contract expires.
Despite being a regular last season, making 41 appearances and registering nine assists in all competitions, Fulham may be open to signing Traore once the winter window opens.
Former West Ham staffer and scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Traore could choose to reunite with Nuno in east London.
“He has incredible speed and power, which can be an asset to any team, even if the final product doesn’t match that,” Brown said.
“Obviously there are concerns that he doesn’t score or assist enough, but Nuno knows him, he’s worked with him before, so he’ll know all about that. He prefers a direct winger who is willing to run towards his men and bring his team up the pitch on the counter-attack, and Traore will bring that.
“So if he becomes available in January or at the end of the year, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see him make that move to play under Nuno again.
“I’ve heard that West Ham are going to support the manager in order to bring in players that suit his style of play, so we’ll see if he’s the player they want.”
The 29-year-old’s talent has been most consistent under Nuno, with Premier League managers often praising Traore as an extremely difficult player.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “(Traore) can’t play in an instant. It’s unbelievable. What a player.”
“It’s not just him, but he’s a very good person.”
Klopp praised Traore again shortly after that message, at times calling the winger’s speed “indefensible”.
