West Ham chiefs are apparently convinced that one Man United player is the ideal signing for new manager Nuno Espírito Santo, coming amid reports that David Sullivan and the hierarchy are set to back him in January.
West Ham make January recruitment plans after Nuno arrival
The Portuguese oversaw his second Premier League game in charge of the East Londoners last Saturday, culminating in a 2-0 defeat away to title-chasing Arsenal.
Goals from ex-West Ham captain Declan Rice, who was the best player on the pitch, and Bukayo Saka handed Nuno his first loss since taking over from Graham Potter over a fortnight ago.
Rice’s man of the match performance was only overshadowed by Saka reaching impressive milestones, with the England international marking his 200th Premier League appearance by reaching a century of goal involvements for the Gunners.
The 90 minutes went exactly how on-lookers would expect, as Arsenal enjoyed a whopping 68 per cent possession and dominated the overall play.
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
Despite West Ham winning two of their previous two league games at the Emirates, it was always going to be a very tough ask for Nuno to secure his first win there, but the tactician will already be getting a good idea of the areas that West Ham need to improve in.
“We’ve had two tough games away from home against very good teams,” Nuno said after their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal.
“Now is the moment to analyse but with all the changes that has been happening I feel the players are responding and trying and that pleases me the most.
“The international break will be important for all of us especially for the players to be calm, there’s been many changes and many noises around us. This is our priority — that we know each other as a group because it is basically our unity and fight for each other [that we need].”
As Nuno attempts to galvanise his new side, away from the pitch, it is believed that West Ham want to sign a new attacking player in January to inject some needed creativity in the forward areas.
AC Milan star Christian Pulisic, Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini and Galatasaray forward Baris Yilmaz have all been mentioned as potential West Ham targets for the winter window, and they’ve also got a keen interest in £105,000-per-week Man United striker Joshua Zirkzee.
West Ham think Joshua Zirkzee is perfect for Nuno
According to reports in Spain, West Ham believe that Zirkzee would “fit perfectly” into Nuno’s system, with the London Stadium now seen as a realistic destination for the Dutchman who’s had admirers at the club “for months”.
Zirkzee is yet to get off the mark for Ruben Amorim’s side after being in and out of the Portuguese’s starting elevens so far, playing just 74 top flight minutes so far, and West Ham could offer him an escape route from Old Trafford.
Since joining from Bologna, the 24-year-old has racked up 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) in just over half a century of appearances for the Red Devils, but the arrivals of summer signings Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha now threaten his place long-term.
By contrast, Nuno could seriously use an alternative to injury-prone striking duo Callum Wilson and Niclas Füllkrug, with Zirkzee’s previous Serie A exploits highlighting how he would really upgrade West Ham’s options.
This is echoed by United legend Lee Sharpe, who backed Zirkzee to become a “superstar” this season.
“I like Zirkzee – he was unfortunate to get injured when he did, but he’s a real baller and I think he can be a superstar for Manchester United if he can get games under his belt,” Sharpe told The Metro in May.
“He needs a regular run. I don’t think he’s had a 10-game stint where he has actually played week in, week out. There were reports that he wasn’t quite fit when he signed, so it took him a bit of time to get up to speed. I think he was just finding his feet when he got injured but I think he’s going to prove a real key player next season.”
