Nuno Espirito Santo batted away any questions regarding the January transfer window this week but, with Manchester United duo Kobbie Mainoo and Joshua Zirkzee popping up in the media, West Ham are clearly doing plenty of work behind the scenes.
When quizzed on potential additions, in his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Nuno Espirito Santo preferred to focus on the present rather than look wistfully into the future.
While West Ham will be without Konstantinos Mavropanos away to Leeds United on Friday, the manager will have to make do with what he’s got for the next two-and-a-bit months, and hope that the Hammers are not cut adrift at the bottom by the time January arrives.
Speaking of January, behind the scenes, Nuno has not been shy in telling West Ham what he wants.
Hammers News have been informed that the former Wolves, Tottenham and Nottingham Forest boss feels that West Ham United have clear issues up top. Hence, the reported interest in Joshua Zirkzee and co.
But, speaking on the Give Me Sport YouTube channel, reporter Ben Jacobs claims that Nuno could look at another Manchester United benchwarmer in order to solve another of the issues he inherited from Graeme Potter.
The problem is though that, despite their lack of game time, Ruben Amorim is determined to keep Kobbie Mainoo and Zirkzee at Old Trafford beyond the winter window.
Nuno Espirito Santo wants West Ham United additions with Kobbie Mainoo ‘liked’
Neither Mainoo nor Zirkzee have started a Premier League match so far this term. They have played just 192 minutes combined.
And with the World Cup on the horizon, both players know that they are likely to be denied a seat on a plane to the USA unless something changes. Ronald Koeman has warned Zirkzee already that he will not be part of the Netherlands’ plans as long as he remains stuck behind Benjamin Sesko in the Man United pecking order.
Mainoo asked to leave United on loan during the final days of the summer window, meanwhile, before being left out of Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for each of the last two international breaks.
Now, while a move to West Ham for Zirkzee is being talked up, the aforementioned Jacobs reports that Mainoo may also feature heavily in any conversations between two perennial Premier League underachievers.
“What I can tell you is to keep an eye on the Hammers in January, because they are going to be busier than most,” Jacobs says.
“Nuno Espirito Santo has come in, they are in an early relegation battle, and he’s asked the West Ham hierarchy for three things; a striker, a midfielder, and a defender, all with a view to getting West Ham out of trouble.
“Nuno has asked for more pace in midfield. A ‘six’ or an ‘eight’ who can get box-to-box. And I’m told that Kobbie Mainoo is still liked by West Ham, if Manchester United let him leave.”
A lack of mobility in the centre of the park is an issue which has plagued the Hammers all season long.
Tomas Soucek’s weaknesses were exposed by Brentford on Monday night as the long-serving 30-year-old was asked to hold the fort occasionally all on his own against an athletic, buzzing Bees outfit.
And while the West Ham faithful were left questioning Nuno as he overlooked both Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa – two of the club’s younger and quicker midfield options – this is an issue which may have to be solved by an outside hire.
Genoa’s Morten Frendrup and Chelsea’s Andrey Santos mentioned by Ben Jacobs
Jacobs throws two other names into the frame. Both of which have been the subject of interest in the recent past, too.
“Morten Frendrup at Genoa and Andrey Santos at Chelsea are two other players [West Ham like],” he says. “But as far as Chelsea are concerned, Santos isn’t for sale.”
Jacobs initially reported back in May that West Ham had discussed Frendrup with Serie A outfit Genoa. As for Santos, such a hit on loan at Strasbourg last season, Enzo Maresca revealed that Chelsea wanted to keep the Brazilian despite a reported offer from their London neighbours to the East.
Amorim is likely to take a similar stance to Maresca, should West Ham firm up their interest in his seldom-seen duo.
“Zirkzee and Mainoo are our players,” the former Sporting Lisbon boss said before Harry Maguire scored a late winner at Liverpool last weekend. “We need everyone to have a good season.
“[But] some players are not playing. There’s noise, news, some want to play. There’s a World Cup. There are agents that listen to the players talking all the time.”
Hammers News can confirm that West Ham have held talks with Real Madrid, meanwhile. Endrick and Gonzalo Garcia, two young centre-forwards who may need regular minutes to progress away from Kylian Mbappe’s domination, are loan targets for the Hammers.
