Sports
West Ham in fresh talks to sign Fulham winger Adama Traore with deal “likely”
West Ham finally tasted their first victory since November after 64 days of winless misery last Saturday, but their perilous league position has prompted urgent moves in January.
The Hammers ended a dreadful 10-game winless run with a 2-1 extra-time triumph over Championship side QPR in the FA Cup third round at the London Stadium.
New signing Taty Castellanos scored the decisive header after Crysencio Summerville’s opener was cancelled out by Richard Kone’s equaliser. The victory provides precious relief for under-pressure manager Nuno Espírito Santo, whose side remain firmly entrenched in the relegation battle sitting 18th with just 14 points from 21 matches, seven points adrift of safety.
West Ham have already splashed nearly £50m on attacking reinforcements this month, bringing in Castellanos from Lazio for £26m and securing Pablo Felipe.
However, Santo’s priority has now shifted to addressing a leaky defence that has already conceded the most goals in the top flight.
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Multiple defensive targets have emerged, with former Tottenham defender Eric Dier one of the latest names on the club’s radar.
German journalist Florian Plettenberg revealed earlier this week that intermediaries offered the 31-year-old to West Ham. Monaco signed Dier on a free transfer from Bayern Munich last summer, and he initially impressed enough to earn the captain’s armband.
However, hamstring and calf injuries have sidelined him since early October, restricting him to just 810 minutes across 9 appearances.
Nuno, who previously worked with Dier during his brief spell at Spurs, views the centre-back as possessing the leadership qualities desperately lacking in his current squad (ExWHUemployee).
Despite the interest, conflicting reports have emerged about Monaco’s willingness to part with the defender. While reports suggest Dier has been offered out, L’Equipe journalist Flavien Trésarrieu maintains the Ligue 1 side intend to retain him for their European push.
That being said, perhaps their stance could change after confirmation that Monaco have secured Leicester City defender Wout Faes on loan until the end of the season, with an option to buy valued between £4m and £9m.
As West Ham seek Dier to plug up their leaky backline, it is believed that Fulham winger Adama Traoré is still a target for Nuno after their productive relationship at Wolves.
West Ham reignite talks to sign Adama Traoré from Fulham
According to TEAMtalk and journalist Dean Jones, West Ham have restarted negotiations for Traore behind-the-scenes, with more fresh talks poised to take place.
Fulham, on their end, concede that a deal ‘will likely develop’ given the Spaniard is out of contract this summer, and January represents the only opportunity to obtain a fee for him.
Traore was once a regular under Marco Silva, bagging nine assists in 41 outings last term and showing brief flashes of the form that once made him among the Premier League‘s most devastating dribblers.
Under Nuno’s tutelage at Molineux, the ex-Barcelona forward was quite simply exceptional, with former Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp once branding Traore ‘undefendable’.
While he hasn’t quite reached those same heights on a consistent enough basis since then, perhaps a reunion with Nuno in east London could encourage a spark.
Traore’s contract situation means he’ll also be available for a cheap fee, at least in theory, so West Ham may have all the bargaining power here.
Ex-Wolves boss Bruno Lage is another tactician to have piled praise on Traore, branding him a ‘top player’, with a switch to the London Stadium still firmly on the cards this month.
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