Nuno Makes West Ham Transfer Demand Despite £22m Engels Deal

By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)

Nuno Espírito Santo has welcomed West Ham’s breakthrough in the £22 million deal for Arne Engels but made it abundantly clear that one new arrival will not be enough.

Speaking to the press ahead of Sunday’s Championship opener against Burnley, Nuno was asked to confirm the signing of Engels from Celtic.

“There was a bid accepted by Celtic, but I cannot go much further. We need more bodies.”

No doubt the comments will be perceived as a gentle nudge to the West Ham owners to get a wriggle on with transfer reinforcements.

The comments come with West Ham finally making the breakthrough in their long pursuit of Engels, who has been recruitment director Nils Koppen’s number one midfield choice.

Nuno sends clear transfer message

However, the Irons gaffer was quick to point out that getting the right players in was more important than just making any old signing.

“We have to be patient. We want players with the right mindset. We don’t have much time, but we have to get it right. We are aware we need more bodies, but meanwhile we have to be ready for everything. The window is open, so anything can happen.”

By Nuno’s guarded standards, that’s saying quite a lot.

There is a clear message that more signings are expected and, with the Championship season about to begin, not much time to get them through the door.

The urgency is obvious given that West Ham return to Turf Moor this weekend for what promises to be a difficult opening Championship fixture.

Getting Engels over the line is significant, but clearly Nuno doesn’t consider it job done.

West Ham still have plenty of work to do

As things stand, it would appear West Ham are still looking to bring in at least one striker, a back-up winger and a central defender.

The striker search remains particularly important. Troy Parrott remains firmly on the Hammers’ radar, while West Ham have looked at a number of alternatives as they attempt to give Nuno another option alongside Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe.

Central defence remains another area requiring attention, with Nuno likely playing a waiting game to see whether Axel Disasi can be persuaded to return to the London Stadium.

Disasi already demonstrated what he could bring to Nuno’s defence during his loan spell last season, including making his first West Ham Premier League start in February’s victory at Burnley.

Of course, all of the above is predicated upon West Ham not selling any further players.

Interest in El Hadji Malick Diouf continues to grow, with Sunderland reportedly bidding £40 million and West Ham demanding £50 million.

To state the obvious, were the Hammers to sanction Diouf’s departure to either Sunderland or Brentford, a replacement left-back would surely need to be added to Nuno’s already lengthy shopping list.

Engels is a very good start.

But judging by Nuno’s comments, West Ham are nowhere near finished yet.