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West Ham eyeing move for PL forward who would compliment Nuno’s transformed attack – report

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West Ham forwards Taty Castellanos and Pablo
(Photo by Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)

Relegation or not, it’s extremely likely that West Ham will head into the summer transfer window looking to sign a striker once again.

The winter arrivals of Taty Castellanos and Pablo have proved vital in boosting Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side’s chances of survival, with the pair helping the Hammers go from two points adrift of safety in January to two points above the relegation zone with four games to play.

For all the latest West Ham transfer news, confirmed signings and rumours, visit our dedicated transfer centre here.

But while their performances have helped transform West Ham’s form, especially in the final third, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Nuno intends to bring in another prolific goalscorer in the summer, especially if top-flight survival is achieved.

If relegation is confirmed, it’s likely at least one of Taty and Pablo are sold, probably both.

Meanwhile, Callum Wilson’s future at the club remains in question despite proving to be a huge match-winning asset to bring off the bench.

So it’s little wonder why we’re already seeing West Ham being linked with strikers ahead of the summer transfer window.

West Ham “making moves” 

According to a very popular transfer insider on X, the Hammers are “making moves” for Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.

The Senegal international has spent the season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he has registered 10 goals and four assists in 29 appearances in all competitions for the German giants.

As Harry Kane’s understudy in the Bundesliga, the 24-year-old has enjoyed a successful loan spell away from London but Bayern have since confirmed that they will not be activating their option to buy for the forward for €65million.

Chelsea are expected to undergo yet another squad overhaul this summer following the departures of both Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior this season, and it’s likely Jackson could be one of the players they’re open to selling if the right offer comes in.

Indeed, West Ham’s chances of convincing Jackson to swap West for East London will rely heavily on what division they’re playing in next season.

But even if they’re still a Premier League outfit, reported interest in Jackson from Aston Villa and Newcastle also makes it a very difficult deal to get over the line from the very start.

Jackson would be a good fit for Hammers

Despite his struggle to be consistent enough for Chelsea, there’s no denying how good a fit he would be for West Ham in the Premier League.

His work rate, strength and clinical touch will be attributes Nuno will be looking for in a striker this summer.

At Chelsea, Jackson scored 24 goals and created 10 assists in 65 Premier League appearances, which is almost a goal involvement every two games.

If you add that to a front line involving Jarrod Bowen, Crysencio Summerville, Taty and Pablo – who have been involved in 29 of West Ham’s 42 Premier League goals between them this season – you get a group of attackers all capable of chipping in consistently with attacking returns.

So Jackson would undoubtedly fit in at London Stadium if a deal can be done in the summer, but there’s still a long way to go before that’s even close to becoming a reality.

New role for Bowen? Formation tweak? – How West Ham might approach huge Everton clash

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West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen
(Photo by Henry NICHOLLS / AFP via Getty Images)

West Ham host Everton on Saturday afternoon in a huge clash that could define both the relegation battle and the race for Europe.

West Ham are just two points above the drop zone and need all three points against the Toffees to guarantee a third consecutive week above 18th-placed Spurs.

Meanwhile, Everton are 10th but only three points behind 6th-placed Brighton and need to bounce back from a very late defeat to Liverpool last time out by winning to keep their hopes of qualifying for European competition alive.

It’s also David Moyes’ first time back at London Stadium since leaving the club in 2024, and he will absolutely want to leave his old stomping ground with all the points in his back pocket, for obvious reasons.

Nuno Espirito Santo has named an unchanged XI for the last two games – the 4-0 win at home to Wolves and 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace – and given he has confirmed he has no injury concerns ahead of this weekend, it would understandably be tempting to name the same XI for a third week running.

But we’ve reached a stage where a change in the XI and the overall formation, even just slightly, might just unlock another level of quality and form which could help the Hammers get over the line and live to fight another day.

Indeed, a change like that could backfire but it was very clear against Crystal Palace on Monday night that a slight tweak in the final third is probably what’s needed to get the team firing.

A change of role for Bowen

Jarrod Bowen v Man City
Jarrod Bowen v Man City. (Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Jarrod Bowen has been the lynchpin for West Ham once again this season, registering double figures for goals in all competitions for a fifth consecutive season.

Despite that, he hasn’t been as prolific as he could be this season, with his last goal in the Premier League coming way back in January, in the 3-2 defeat away at Chelsea.

He’s registered six Premier League assists since then, and did bag a brace against Brentford in the FA Cup, but West Ham need him on the scoresheet as often as possible between now and the end of the season to further boost their survival chances.

So perhaps opting to play the captain in a more central position, either as a No.10 behind Taty Castellanos or as a shadow striker, could help unlock Bowen’s goal threat further.

Bowen’s record as a second striker in his career isn’t fantastic, with four goals and five assists in 16 appearances. But his record as a centre-forward is far better – 31 goals and 15 assists in 72 appearances.

If Bowen is moved more centrally, that would obviously mean Pablo would have to miss out on the starting XI against Everton, which would be harsh given his impressive performances and link up with Taty since arriving in January.

It would also mean the right-wing position will need to be filled, with Adama Traore the obvious player to come and step into Bowen’s shows in that role.

A front four of Traore, Bowen, Taty and Crysensio Summerville, with Bowen and Taty overloading centrally, would most likely give Everton’s defence a tough afternoon.

So this is how I think Nuno might line-up against the Toffees on Saturday afternoon…

West Ham predicted XI v. Everton

“Very important” – Nuno delivers best possible news for West Ham fans ahead of Everton clash

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West Ham Manager Nuno Espirito Santo
(Photo by Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Nuno Espirito Santo has delivered the best possible news ahead of West Ham‘s Premier League clash with Everton on Saturday.

David Moyes is set to make his first return to the London Stadium since leaving the club in May 2024 as he looks to steer his Toffees side to European qualification.

Everton are 10th in the Premier League with five games to play, but are just three points off 6th-placed Brighton.

Nuno’s West Ham will be looking to make it a very unhappy return to east London for Moyes and, in turn, give themselves the best possible chance of Premier League survival.

It’s a game which is just so difficult to predict at this stage of the campaign. Both sides are on form, both at home and away, and both need all three points.

But, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon, Nuno has given fans a huge boost ahead of Saturday afternoon.

He said: “All the squad is available so having all the options to try and help us is very important for us.”

Confirmation that there are no injuries in the first team squad is exactly what West Ham need ahead of the final five fixtures of the campaign.

The Hammers have been unchanged in their last two outings and a run of consistency in team selection could be the perfect tonic for getting into a positive rhythm.

Moyes’ London Stadium record

David Moyes at London Stadium
David Moyes at London Stadium. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

But Saturday’s clash with Everton poses a serious test, not least because Moyes has such a strong record at London Stadium, from when he was manager across two different spells.

The Scot won 50% of his 128 London Stadium games in all competitions and has also only lost three games in 23 matches against the Hammers as opposition manager.

So Moyes will no doubt be looking forward to visiting his old stomping ground on Saturday.

But Nuno remains confident that West Ham’s home form is strong enough to get a result and believes the fans will once again prove to be important.

“We’re playing against a good team but it’s a going to be at the London Stadium,” he added.

“I think we’ve been improving the home factor with the support of the fans and we count on them to try and compete well and have a good performance.”

Pundit makes “big” West Ham v Everton call despite crazy David Moyes London Stadium stat

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David Moyes last game at London Stadium
David Moyes at London Stadium. (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

West Ham host Everton at London Stadium on Saturday in a clash which could have huge implications for the relegation battle and race for Europe. 

Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side sit just two points outside the bottom three with five games left to play, while Everton are just three points behind 6th-placed Brighton.

David Moyes’ return to the ground in which he established himself as a West Ham legend over a four-year spell adds another layer of mettle to the game.

West Ham need to win, especially as Tottenham travel to already-relegated Wolves at the same time on Saturday lunchtime. Spurs will be expected to pick up their first win of 2026 at Molineux, so that adds more pressure on the Hammers to ensure they at the very least match Tottenham’s result in the Midlands.

David Moyes’ London Stadium record

Many will have The Toffees down as favourites here, given the league position of the two teams, but we all know that’s not how football works.

The Hammers are ever-so-slightly the form team going into this game, having picked up eight points from their last five league games, compared to Everton’s seven.

That makes it even harder to call, especially when you consider the home and away form of the two teams respectively.

West Ham haven’t lost at home in the Premier League since early January – a run of five games – picking up impressive results against the likes of Sunderland, Manchester United, Bournemouth and Manchester City in the process.

In all competitions, they haven’t lost at home in 90 minutes since 6th January, only losing to Leeds on penalties in the FA Cup since then.

Meanwhile, Everton have lost just one of their last eight top-flight games on the road, and that came against title-chasing Arsenal.

Whats more, since the Hammers moved into the London Stadium 10 years ago, they’ve won three, drawn three and lost three of their nine meetings against Everton.

So this is one of the hardest fixtures to call of the season so far, with everything taken into account.

However, Everton might feel like they’ve got a slight advantage after all, when taking into account David Moyes’ record against West Ham during his managerial career.

David Moyes' London Stadium Record as West Ham manager

CompetitionGamesWDLGFGA+/-Win %
Premier League100433027158130+2843.00%
FA Cup531182+660.00%
League Cup5401134+980.00%
Europa League11722216+1563.64%
Conference League7700195+14100.00%
Total128643331219147+7250.00%

Moyes won 43 of his 100 Premier League home games in charge of West Ham across two spells, and registered 64 victories in 128 home games in all competitions – that means he won exactly half of his home games as West Ham boss, which is pretty crazy.

The Scot has also lost just three of his 23 games against the Hammers as manager of opposing clubs –  winning 11 and drawing nine, with a win percentage of 48.8%.

On the flip side, Nuno Espirito Santo’s record against Everton as manager stands at three wins, two draws and five defeats – a win percentage of just 30%.

So is that really advantage Moyes and Everton?

Pundits shocked at Jill Scott’s prediction

Jill Scott and Gary Neville on The Overlap
Jill Scott predicts West Ham victory over Everton (Image credit: The Overlap / YouTube)

Jill Scott doesn’t seem to think so and shocked both Gary Neville and Roy Keane with her prediction for this game on The Overlap.

Neville predicted a 2-2 draw but Scott admitted that she thinks West Ham will win the game 1-0.

“Wow!” was the response from Neville and Keane, who both agreed that a West Ham win would be a “big result.”

It would, too, given the implications it could have at both ends of the table. A win for the Hammers ensures they keep Spurs in the bottom three, regardless of what their London rivals do at Molineux, while Everton’s push for European qualification takes a major blow.

It’s fair to say all eyes are going to be on London Stadium this weekend.

West Ham to get aggressive in race for priority target this summer, despite big gap in valuation – report

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Fluminense midfielder Matheus Martinelli
Fluminense midfielder Matheus Martinelli [Left](Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

West Ham are preparing to get more aggressive in their attempts to sign Matheus Martinelli, according to reports coming out of Brazil.

The Fluminense midfielder was the subject of a £10.2m bid from the Hammers in the winter window, which was well short of the club’s valuation of the player and was swiftly rejected.

For all the latest West Ham transfer news, confirmed signings and rumours, visit our dedicated transfer centre here.

With no time to negotiate before the transfer window closed, a deal was unable to materialise and, since then the 24-year-old has signed a fresh contract until 2030, with includes a £25.6m release clause.

But that doesn’t appear to have put the Hammers off from returning for the midfielder in the summer, and it’s claimed the club are intending to become more aggressive in their attempts to bring him to the Premier League.

The defensive midfielder has made 315 appearances for Fluminense, scoring 15 goals and providing 19 assists.

West Ham’s motivations behind Martinelli transfer

Matheus Martinelli
Fluminense defensive midfielder, Matheus Martinelli(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

According to RTI Esporte, Martinelli is now a priority target for West Ham, but Fluminense will not entertain discussions over his signature unless an offer of at least £17.1m is made from the off.

It’s claimed West Ham don’t just view Martinelli as a hot-prospect at Premier League level but also one they could make a tidy profit on in future, which may also lead to his current club pushing for a sell-on clause in any future transfer.

But any deal rests solely on whether West Ham can remain in the Premier League. With five games of the season left to play, the Hammers’ immediate future is still to be decided and the outcome will decide what direction go in with their summer transfer strategy.

Meanwhile, it’s believed that Martinelli does want a move to Europe but will not agree to anything unless it’s the right step for his own development.

It’s unlikely he would be interested in joining a club battling against relegation but if survival can be secured and certain assurances can be made, he could be tempted to make east London the place he continues his career.

West Ham’s finances may be an issue

Matheus Martinelli in Club World Cup
Matheus Martinelli in the Club World Cup. (Photo by Carmen Mandato – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

One big stumbling block for West Ham is the gap between the original bid they made for Martinelli and what Fluminense are expecting for his signature.

Recent accounts show that the Hammers are likely going to need to sell before they buy again this summer, with a number of key players expected to be sold regardless of what league they’re in.

That comes after the club posted recorded losses of over £104m in the last financial year, caused by a lower league finish, no European football, fewer games on TV and smaller profits made by player sales.

Indeed, those results mean relegation to the Championship could prove disastrous for the club in the short to medium term, but even if survival is achieved, those losses will need to be plugged.

That means signing Martinelli, especially given the risks involved around buying a player with no experience in Europe, poses additional issues.

Still, Brazilian reports insist West Ham will continue to pursue his signature and Fluminense are bracing themselves for another bid.