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Hammers Eye Serie A Midfielder in Potential Player Swap

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West Ham informed Claret & Hugh yesterday that the club is actively looking to inject more pace into the Hammers’ pedestrian midfield.

During a conversation about recalling loanee James Ward-Prowse, a top London Stadium source revealed the club would prefer to bring in “fresh faces,” with midfield speed a clear priority.

Tim Steidten is reportedly providing the West Ham board with a list of potential candidates. One name that keeps cropping up is Nicolò Fagioli. While the Italian midfielder is technically excellent and not considered slow, he wouldn’t exactly be described as fast.

However, before dismissing the transfer rumour, it’s worth noting that Julen Lopetegui is believed to want another playmaker, and Fagioli fits that mould perfectly. Additionally, Fagioli is thought to be surplus to requirements at Juventus, who value him at around £16m.

Intriguingly, Juventus are also understood to be keen on Hammers left-back Emerson. The Italian international, who has been in underwhelming form recently, is reportedly interested in a move back to Serie A as a pathway to re-establishing himself in the national team.

A situation could develop where Juventus and West Ham consider a player exchange. However, a senior Hammers source cautioned Claret & Hugh, saying, “Swap deals are very hard and complicated to do.”

Even if West Ham manage to sign the promising Fagioli, it’s unlikely to address the team’s glaring lack of pace in midfield

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7 comments

  • Rob Howett says:

    Lopetegui’s inability to foster team cohesion and establish a clear tactical identity obstructs the club’s progress. Poor man-management and a failure to adapt strategies to the Premier League’s demanding environment lead to inconsistent performances and dissatisfaction within the squad. Despite his reputation, Lopetegui struggles to address defensive frailties and fails to maximise the potential of key players, resulting in underwhelming results and a lack of unity within the team.

  • Jeeps says:

    Couldn’t agree more.
    Hasn’t given players a chance to gel.
    A start would be put them in their recognised positions.
    Moves them around like chess pieces without a clue.
    Like a jigsaw try putting a wrong piece in and it will never work.
    It was never going to be easy bring that many players in but he did have a hand in picking them
    With injuries will be interesting to see what he thinks will be a winning formula.
    Mavro to fill in for Bowen?
    Be off with you JLo.

  • D.f.butcher says:

    What we need is a manager who infuses the players we have to play, lopey obviously doesn’t do that , people keep saying our midfield are cardboard cutouts it’s the manager who’s a cardboard cut out, we also need a lively striker to put pressure on opponents, we lack that mark noble enthusiasm in all departments,

  • CareBare says:

    With Bowen and Antonio both out, I can’t see us winning many more games this season unless we get at least two attack minded players this month. The Midfield situation should be second in consideration.

  • DavidsCross says:

    Gonzo, not being funny mate, but a lot of West Ham players are giving underwhelming performances and aren’t at their best this season. In my opinion it’s mainly due to being played out of position and not given the opportunity to play in their favoured or regular position. If Loopy were to play the players in their best and most comfortable positions while asking them to adhere to his unusual tactics and methodologies, then I’m sure they would all have more chance of performing at a level we are used to seeing more often. The only real issue with our squad is the head coach. Under a different coach I’m quite sure they would come together and make great strides forward as the quality is there. Its taken all those friendlies and half the season to get the squad to even begin to understand his methodology, which in real terms doesn’t appear a whole lot different from David Moyes – apart from maybe keeping possession a little more, but losing it cheaply. And they definitely don’t break with the speed they used to under Moyes. The tactics he is trying to play just don’t work, and the constant shouting on the side-line doesn’t work either. The whole episode seems like its just stubbornness personified instead of admitting the mistakes made. Falling out with so many players while asking them to do a job for the team isn’t the way to go, and if it keeps happening then we have disrupted the whole shooting match for an experiment that can only be laid at the door of David Sullivan. I know we aren’t a sacking club which I have always had great belief in, time is always given and should be, But we are now entering the realm of having given too much time without seeing much change. I hoped he would turn it around and that it would work, but its now time to look forward and see what we can achieve with a different head coach that unites the squad. A united and happy squad will always perform better and run the extra mile. At the moment we are only West Ham, we need to get back to being West Ham UNITED!

    • 60sSupporter says:

      A lot solid good sense being spoken on New Year’s Day.

    • FredK says:

      Well said. We have exercised patience with Jlo but it is plain to see nothing is developing and the worst of it is playing players out of position which is the root of many of our problems and tension. We need a clean slate.

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