Hammers blown away by defensive target

By Dave Langton

West Ham’s scouts were hugely impressed by Joe Worrall’s display for Nottingham Forest against Liverpool in the FA Cup on Sunday as he turned in a man of the match performance.

The Championship club played superbly against the Reds but were beaten 1-0 at the City Ground, despite a brave effort to beat Jurgen Klopp’s title-chasers.

Worrall captained his side in the game and was excellent in central defence, with Irons scouts also keeping a close eye on the game.

Boss David Moyes is a big fan of the Forest defender and has been considering a potential summer swoop, instructing his scouts to watch him whenever possible.

Worrall would cost around £15m in the summer and Moyes is ready to invest in his squad in order to strengthen the backline.

The 25-year-old is on a contract until 2024 and Forest are continuing to push for promotion to the Premier League; they are currently ninth in the Championship but sit just three points behind Blackburn in the final play-off place, with three games in hand.

Promotion would complicate the Irons’ pursuit but there remains a desire to get a deal done for the defender.