A deal is reportedly close to coming to fruition.
West Ham are believed to be closing in on the signing of a “very impressive” attacking player in the January transfer window, according to a new report.
West Ham transfer news
The Hammers have been linked with plenty of individuals in recent weeks, as David Moyes looks to give his side the best possible chance of getting into Europe again, not to mention going as far as possible in the Europa League after securing the services of Kalvin Phillips on loan from Manchester City.
Ibrahim Osman is one player who has emerged as a target for West Ham, with the 19-year-old currently plying his trade at Nordsjaelland. He is seen as a similar player to Mohammed Kudus. Meanwhile, Ipswich Town left-back Leif Davis has also been backed to make a move to the London Stadium, having been a key man for his promotion-chasing team this season.
A late move for Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson has been mooted, too, but as is the case with any business, time is running out to get it over the line.
West Ham closing in on Jota
According to TuttoMercatoWeb [via The Daily Record, 09:48], West Ham are now “close” to completing the signing of Al-Ittihad winger Jota, who used to be at Celtic before leaving last summer.
jota-celtic
A loan deal is expected to be sealed before the end of deadline day next Thursday, bringing an end to what has been an underwhelming spell in the Saudi Pro League.
Jota’s key career stats
Appearances
Goals
Celtic
83
28
Portugal Under-21s
18
5
Portugal Under-20-s
8
0
Portugal Under-19s
21
10
Portugal Under-17s
15
10
Portugal Under-16s
9
1
Portugal Under-15s
2
0
This is undoubtedly exciting news for West Ham, with Jota someone who could come straight in and give Moyes extra attacking brilliance, providing competition for the likes of Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, among others. Portugal manager Roberto Martinez is someone who rates the wide man highly, saying of him last year:
“I think obviously Jota is a player that is very important for the national team in terms of the qualities that he has. He is a player that has this natural knack of beating players in a one vs one situation. So, he’s a player that since I arrived in January, as you can imagine, there’s been a lot of information. I tried to follow as many players, in fact, all the players, and clearly, Jota is one of them.
“What I would say is that his evolution has been very impressive. I would say that the last four months especially he is growing into a very mature role at his club. He’s always involved in the big moments, and that’s important.”
kalvin-phillips-man-city-premier-league
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Jota is still only 24 years of age, so he could come in as a long-term option whose peak years should still be ahead of him, and a tally of 54 goal contributions (28 goals and 26 assists) in 83 appearances for Celtic outlines his impressive level of end product in the final third.
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Henry is an experienced football writer with a huge passion and knowledge of the game.
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