Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has identified Nottingham Forest defender Murillo as a key defensive target, but the 23-year-old Brazilian is also attracting interest from Arsenal and Barcelona. (Caught Offside), external
Manchester United want to keep Casemiro at the club by offering him a new contract, but they want the 33-year-old Brazil midfielder to accept a reduced salary as part of the extension. (Fabrizio Romano, external)
Manchester United could also offer Antoine Semenyo his preferred number 24 shirt in a bid to lure the 25-year-old Bournemouth and Ghana forward to Old Trafford during the January transfer window. (Manchester Evening News, external)
Wolves boss Rob Edwards maintains there has been no official approach from Manchester United for £44m-rated Brazil midfielder Joao Gomes, 24. (Express, external)
Liverpool have offered Ibrahima Konate a new contract but the 26-year-old France centre-back, whose current deal expires next summer, is yet to respond amid interest from Real Madrid. (Caught Offside), external
Dayot Upamecano, 27, is also out of contract at the end of the season, but Bayern Munich's France defender, who is being monitored by Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Liverpool, has distanced himself from a potential big-money January move to Chelsea. (Metro), external
Italy international Federico Chiesa could explore a move away from Liverpool in January, with the Serie A quartet of Inter Milan, Napoli, AS Roma and AC Milan all keeping tabs on the 28-year-old winger. (Fichajes - in Spanish, external)
Liverpool's failure to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi, 25, in the summer has left doubts in the England defender's mind and he is now willing to wait until the end of the season to confirm his future. (Alan Nixon on Patreon), external
Newcastle's Denmark striker William Osula, 22, is keen to rekindle a move to Eintracht Frankfurt in January after the Premier League side pulled the plug on a summer loan switch to the German outfit. (Fussball Transfers - in German), external
Chelsea and Portugal winger Pedro Neto, 25, has emerged as a transfer target for Barcelona with sporting director Deco a big fan of his compatriot. (Fichajes - in Spanish, external)
Fabian Schar could leave Newcastle when his contract expires in the summer as the 33-year-old Switzerland defender considers interest from clubs in Germany. (Football Insider), external
Liverpool are preparing a record £140m bid for 21-year-old Portugal and Paris St-Germain midfielder Joao Neves. (Fichajes - in Spanish, external)
Brentford will allow 22-year-old English goalkeeper Matthew Cox to leave the club on loan during the January transfer window. (Football Insider, external)
The Athletic
Nuno’s decision to take Wilson off cost West Ham the game, he must learn from it
Callum Wilson and Nuno Espirito Santo after the striker's substitution against Bournemouth Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images
By Roshane Thomas
Nuno Espirito Santo flung his arms in the air and scoured the field for answers when West Ham United let a two-goal lead slip against Bournemouth. No one was foolhardy enough to respond to the head coach but as the players straggled back to the centre circle some may have viewed him as the culprit for their capitulation.
There was curious bewilderment in the away enclosure when West Ham’s head coach substituted in-form Callum Wilson moments after the interval. The 33-year-old, who joined on an incentive-based one-year deal in August following the expiry of his contract at Newcastle United, scored twice and was on track to score his first Premier League hat-trick since November 2017 (for Bournemouth against Huddersfield Town).
The nine-time England international, who has scored three goals in his last two games, briefly shook his head in disappointment when he saw his number projected on the fourth official’s board in the 52nd minute.
He was replaced by midfielder Tomas Soucek, who played as a makeshift lone striker, but the change backfired and West Ham did not attempt a single shot after Wilson’s withdrawal. Their attacking threat weakened, they retreated further into their own half and they lacked a focal presence, all of which contributed to Bournemouth’s second-half revival — courtesy of goals from Marcus Tavernier and Enes Unal. The home side only registered four shots in the first half, but it was 21 in the second period.
“I think we took advantage in the first half of their mistakes with the way we achieved our goals with straight balls into the box,” said Nuno in his post-match press conference. “But in the second half, momentum changed and it was about Bournemouth. We were against the ropes. We were too low and I thought let’s have a setter (which is why I brought off Wilson).
“We looked at Callum and Luis (Guilherme) twisted his ankle. We lost a little bit of speed on the left side. I think we defended well against a tough team, but we should have done better with so many bodies inside our box. He (Wilson) can play a full match if we decide that’s the best plan of action. But it’s what you want him to do during the full match, and I’m going to be very honest, we have to manage the situation. We have games, Niclas (Fullkrug) is coming back and we are using Tomas as a striker. There are many things that we have to take into consideration.”
Wilson had shown how he differs from Fullkrug with his two well-taken goals. At the club’s training hub in Rush Green, the players have worked on delivering long balls to both strikers. It worked perfectly for Wilson’s first goal, with goalkeeper Alphonse Areola’s long ball evading defender Marcos Senesi.
Wilson celebrates scoringRob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images
Wilson, who made his first appearance at the Vitality Stadium since leaving the south-coast club to join Newcastle in September 2020, has scored four goals across 10 appearances this season, already surpassing Fullkrug’s total number of goals for West Ham (three in 28 appearances).
When the Germany international was introduced on Saturday, he did little to entice the club’s hierarchy to keep him beyond the January transfer window; with a poorly-hit backpass leaving Nuno so enraged that the 32-year-old might have had to walk back to London had it led to a late winner.
Overall, the match underlined Wilson’s strengths and importance and why it is imperative he reaches full fitness. He has not played 90 minutes in the league since February 2024 (against Nottingham Forest). The forward endured back and hamstring injuries last season at Newcastle, which limited him to 20 league appearances, 16 of which were from the bench, having played a secondary role to Alexander Isak.
Wilson featured sporadically under former head coach Graham Potter, who was sacked in September. In the six games Potter oversaw this season against Sunderland, Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace, the marksman only played a combined total of 175 minutes. Having initially been an unused substitute in Nuno’s first three games against Everton, Arsenal and Brentford, Wilson has now been entrusted with leading the line since his belated first start under the Portuguese in the 2-1 loss to Leeds United.
West Ham’s all-time Premier League top goalscorer Michail Antonio left in June after his contract expired, which led to Wilson’s arrival. He received interest from Saudi Arabia in the summer, but wanted to remain in the top flight to try and join the Premier League 100-goal club; with the Englishman currently on 92 goals in the competition.
A dejected Nuno after the gameAdam Davy/PA Images via Getty Images
“It’s a goal of mine (to reach 100 Premier League goals), but it’s about the process and getting there, such as days like today, helping the team get some goals away from home,” Wilson told West Ham’s official website after the game “It takes me to 92 goals. I’m fully aware of that, but on the other hand, it’s about an all-round performance as a striker. You don’t want to be judged just on goals. Of course, at the end of the day, people do judge you on that, but I need to do a job for the team first and foremost, and then the goals will come.”
Nuno will hope that remains the case for the upcoming home game against Liverpool. If Wilson scores and West Ham are winning, the head coach will now be acutely aware what the repercussions could be if he toys with the idea of another tactical rejig.
C&H
West Ham’s Data Guru shortlists new £17m Canadian striker
Having reported on Max Hahn and some of his targets in one of my previous articles, C&H have learnt that The Head of Technical Recruitment and Analysis has highlighted a number of players to Nuno Espírito Santo from the Belgium league.
Two of the names on the list currently ply their trade at Club Brugge, the targets have been kept under wraps, yet C&H believes this to be a young international centre back and a striker who has worked his way up through the academy.
Elsewhere, Union Saint-Gilloise in which Brighton owner Tony Bloom holds a minority stake have a Canadian international, Promise David a 6ft 5” striker who has scored 24 goals in 46 appearances since joining in 2024, and is contracted to the club until 2029. West Ham have made enquiries.
David, no relation to Jonathan David was already highlighted by Blooms data approach, and formerly played in Estonia for Nomme Kaliju where he graduated from their under-21 team. For the youth team he scored 22 goals in 19 games and went onto hit 21 goals in 39 games for the first team.
24 year old, 6’5” striker now on Leeds & West Ham’s January watchlist
At only 24 years old, he is expected to command a fee of around £17m with Leeds United also reportedly closely monitoring the situation. However it is Brighton who could potentially hijack any deal in a situation similar to that of Eli Junior Kroupi who joined Bournemouth from Lorient (both owned by Blacknight Football Club) and has scored four goals in eight appearances for the Cherries. Kroupi was another player identified by Max Hahn.
Brighton were reportedly interested in signing Promise in the summer window and are likely to reignite their interest in the January transfer window.
Multi-club ownership is making the transfer market increasingly complex, and clubs like West Ham often find themselves at a disadvantage. Player movement within ownership networks reduces availability, inflates prices for outsiders, and limits opportunities for independent teams trying to strengthen their squads.
With the AFCON tournament fast approaching, West Ham face the prospect of losing their first-choice full-backs Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf to international duty. This could leave the club relying on Kyle Walker-Peters and Ollie Scarles, though Scarles remains sidelined with injury. Manager Nuno Espírito Santo is therefore considering the addition of a versatile defender capable of covering both flanks and other positions.
During the summer window, Head of Technical Recruitment and Analysis, Maximilian Hahn highlighted Arnau Martínez of Girona as a potential solution. Martínez, a graduate of Barcelona’s famed academy, offers flexibility across full-back, centre-back, and right midfield. He has spent most of his career at Girona, making twelve appearances this season and contributing one goal and one assist in La Liga.
Martínez is contracted until June 2027, but his performances have already drawn interest.
Arsenal were reportedly preparing a €10m bid, according to Fabrizio Romano, as they sought defensive reinforcements, though they have since shifted focus to other targets.
Meanwhile, Italian giants AC Milan, Juventus, and Napoli are all rumoured to be monitoring the former Spain U-21 international. Girona’s asking price is expected to fall between €15m and €20m.
For West Ham supporters, the hope is that the club will place greater trust in Hahn’s recommendations. Previous hesitation has already cost them, with targets such as Franculino Dju slipping away, now pursued by Europe’s elite after pricing himself out of a move to the London Stadium.