Noble’s a fan: West Ham now showing keen interest in “explosive midfielder”
West Ham United are now showing considerable interest in signing an “explosive midfielder”, with sporting director Mark Noble personally an admirer.
Hammers looking to sign midfielder to replace Rodriguez
West Ham are determined to get Guido Rodriguez off the books at the earliest opportunity, with the midfielder clearly failing to impress both Graham Potter and Nuno in the Premier League this season, having made just five appearances.
Should the Hammers manage to offload Rodriguez, there may be space to bring in another central midfielder, and Ray Parlour has suggested an Aston Villa star could be exactly what they need, saying: “John McGinn again, another good performance from John. You know what you’re going to get from John every week. People must look at John McGinn and get a buzz because he always gives 100 per cent.
“He’s got quality as well, there’s no doubt about that, but the desire to play is fantastic. You need John McGinn at West Ham at the moment, he’d get people going there.”
With Villa still in the title race and the Hammers four points adrift of safety, however, the Irons have started to identify some more realistic targets, and they are now in the picture to sign Zulte Waregem midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi.
That is according to reports from Belgium (via Sport Witness), which state West Ham are now showing considerable interest in signing Nnadi, and a January deal could be possible, as his current employers are working on bringing in a replacement.
The Belgian club appear to be willing to sell the Nigerian, who is currently at AFCON, which may be exciting news for Noble, as the sporting director has already made it clear he is a fan, having recommended the signing of the central midfielder last month.
£50k-p/w West Ham star who Nuno called "really important" now in talks to leave
The Hammers are looking to reshuffle their squad this month.
ByDominic Lund "Explosive" Nnadi could be risky signing for West Ham
It is clear the Hammers need to strengthen before the end of January, given that relegation is starting to look increasingly likely, most recently failing to bridge the gap to Nottingham Forest by losing 3-0 against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.
There are some indications the Zulte Waregem maestro could be an exciting addition, having received high praise from former manager Tom Caluwé, who said: “He is a strong and explosive midfielder who combines technique with a huge work ethic.”
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However, the 22-year-old is still inexperienced, having only played in Bulgaria and Belgium to date, so it would be a gamble for West Ham to sign the former Botev Plovdiv man in an attempt to save their season.
Not only that, but with West Ham shipping 41 Premier League goals this season, the highest number of any side, signing a new defender should be the priority this month, and there has been a new update on their pursuit of Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell…