'Official Bid': West Ham £10m offer could mean 'horrendous' star plays final game v Nottingham Forest

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo faces a make or break Premier League clash against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest at the London Stadium tonight, with the feeling that anything fewer than three points could bring his short tenure at the club to an end.

That said, the Portuguese boss has been backed by the Hammers in the January window as he looks to find a dramatic uptick in form. West Ham have already signed Pablo Felipe from Gil Vicente and Taty Castellanos from Lazio for just shy of £50 million.

Those arrivals should help the Hammers find more potency in front of goal but, having conceded three against Wolves last weekend, more stability at the back is also needed. One key position is the goalkeeper.

Alphonse Areola ‘nowhere near imposing enough’ for West Ham

West Ham paid £20 million to sign Mads Hermansen from Leicester City in the summer but a poor start to the campaign under Graham Potter saw him lose his place. Lukasz Fabianski was also re-signed as a free agent having just left the club.

Alphonse Areola remains number one and has been one of the better players under Nuno, but there’s a feeling that the Frenchman is still not the level West Ham need. In their player ratings against Wolves, Hammers News wrote: “His horrendous error in the draw with Brighton proved costly but Alphonse Areola has been one of the few consistent performers in the team since Nuno’s arrival. That being said he should have done better to stop Mateus Mane’s strike from outside the box and his distribution was awful.

“For a 6ft 5in giant with hair like a Samurai warrior, Areola is nowhere near imposing enough. It says everything about how bad West Ham are that their average of conceding more than two goals per game this season would be a lot worse without Areola. In a relegation battle you need a goalkeeper that exudes calm and is a real leader and organiser of the defence. Unfortunately £120k per week Areola simply isn’t that guy.”

West Ham send £10m bid for Al Nassr goalkeeper

It appears as if Nuno and the club have locked in on a target to replace Areola. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claims that an official bid has been made for Al Nassr shot-stopper Bento.

Taking to social media platform X, Romano wrote: “West Ham have sent official bid to Al Nassr for Brazilian GK Bento. Talks are underway.”

The Daily Mail claim that bid is a loan with the option to buy for £10 million. Should that deal go through, it could mean that Areola plays his final game as West Ham number one against Nottingham Forest - the Hammers could rotate against QPR in the FA Cup before then taking on Tottenham Hotspur.

In other news, Ex West Ham and Leeds United boss Sam Allardyce has already sent Premier League clubs 'come get me' message.