West Ham submit bid as Guido Rodriguez replacement finally identified

West Ham are said to have submitted a bid for their next January target as they look to hand Nuno Espirito Santo the tools he needs to battle relegation. The Hammers are in a sticky situation, now eight points behind Nottingham Forest, who occupy the last safe spot.

Beyond Forest, Leeds United are the next nearest, nine points ahead of the Iron, and any club above the Whites is all-but certain to stay up.

Santo faces a huge task to keep West Ham up, and his side are going to have to get going quickly if they want to make a fight of it. The Iron did win in the FA Cup on Sunday, requiring extra time to defeat Championship side QPR, but they will be hoping that win sparks a run of form, with new signing Valentin Castellanos finding the net.

So far, West Ham have brought in two new players this month, but they are expected to continue shopping, which is wise given their current predicament. According to L’Equipe, the Iron will continue to shop young, too, with 19-year-old midfielder Alpha Toure being linked.

According to the report, West Ham have made a £6million bid for the Metz midfielder who, despite his youth, has 17 Ligue 1 appearances for his current club this season. Toure is a defensive-minded, hard-working midfielder, and he is currently under contract until 2028.

Toure could potentially replace Guido Rodriguez, who has struggled mightily since arriving on a free transfer in 2024. Juventus are being linked with the Argentine flop, who has been a real mystery given how reliable a player he was at Real Betis. The 31-year-old simply hasn’t settled, and his form has shown it.

The problem for West Ham is, while it is wise to sign talented young players, they arguable need more experienced players if they want to put up a good relegation fight, and that applies to both age and previous Premier League experience. Even if Toure signs, that would mean West Ham have failed to tick either of those boxes with three new arrivals.

Nuno calls for more new signings

Speaking after the QPR win, West Ham boss Santo called for more new signings. He said when assessing the win: “You can see it feels good to win, it feels good for the fans. We go home happy. I think so [deserved to win]. Honestly, with all the respect to QPR, who were organised, they gave us a big fight, but in terms of the game, the way we played it was good.

“We were in control, we were dominant. At the beginning of the second half, we created so many situations that we needed to try and click the final pass, the final assist, but overall, the spirit, the fighting, the desire, the character of the boys, especially in these situations it makes everything better for us.

“Today he delivered [Summerville], Jarrod [Bowen] also had an amazing game, Taty [Castellanos], Pablo [Felipe], I think all the front players. Goals give confidence, and hopefully, for all of our attackers, we can have a boost of confidence that we’re going to need.

“They bring us more options. I think we are trying to rebalance the squad. We still need bodies, but today is a very important day for us. We won the game, we played good football, we have the fight and the organisation. It makes our week better in terms of atmosphere, so we can prepare for Tottenham in a better way, knowing that we have a big task ahead of us, but we believe.

“It’s up to us as a team to give back to our fans. You can feel every time there’s a corner; the sound becomes amazing in the London Stadium. We’re going to need them.”

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