Official January '25 Transfer Window Thread

[stubbo-admin]

Official Transfer Window Thread | I'll try and stay current with signings and rumours.

Could be The Scarf's last chance to prove his worth as well as make-or-break for Lopetegui who needs to shuffle the back to suit what we're trying to do more.

Rumoured In:

• Ewan Ferguson, ST (Brighton)
• Carney Chukwumeka, CM (Chelsea)
• Carlos Soler, CM (PSG, Loan to Perm)
• Emmanuel Latte Lath, ST (Middlesbrough)
• Shea Charles, CM (Southampton)
• Ezekiel Banzuzi, CM (Leuven)
• Arthur Carbral, ST (Benfica)
• Taiwo Awoniyi, ST (Forest)
• Igor Jesus, ST (Botofogo)
• Marcus Rashford, FW (Man Utd)
• Jonathan David, ST (Lille)
• Evann Guessand, ST, (Nice)
• Randal Kolo Muani, ST, (PSG)
• Kieran Dewsbury-Hall , CM, (Chelsea)
• André Silva, ST, (RB Leipzig)
• Elye Wahi, ST, (Marseille)
• Kristjan Asllani, CM, (Inter)
• Rodrigo Muniz, ST, (Fulham)
• Callum Wilson, ST, (Newcastle)
• Ansu Fati, AM, (Barcelona)
• Angel Gomes, CM, (Lille, pre-contract)
• Adam Webster, CB, (Brighton)
• Brian Brobbey, ST, (Ajax)
• Ricardo Pepi, ST, (PSV)
• James McAtee, MF, (Man City)
• Yuri Alberto, ST, (Corinthians)
• Tyler Morton, DM, (Liverpool)

Rumoured Out:

• Kudus (Liverpool, Newcastle, Arsenal)
• Fullkrüg (Juventus)
• Rodriguez (Betis)
• Alvarez (Monaco)
• Emerson (Juventus)
• Luis Guilherme (Al Hilal)

Confirmed In:

• Josh Landers (!), ST (Hibernian)
• James Ward-Prowse, MF, (Nottigham Forest | Return from loan)
• Evan Ferguson, ST, (Brighton, Loan...no option/obligation to buy)

Confirmed Out:

• Max Cornet (Genoa, Loan)
• Favour Fawunmi
• Sean Tarima
• Junior Robinson — Sutton United (loan)
• Regan Clayton — Dagenham & Redbridge (loan)
• Brad Dolaghan — Aldershot Town (loan)
• Michael Forbes — Colchester United (loan)
• Krisztian Hegyi — Debreceni (loan)

​​​​

[Iron Duke]

Our business model is terrible.

 

[threesixty]

57m ... Sullys joking right?
17m extra! 

hahahah

Geezer doesnt even start for his club. Is he really the next Isaak, Haaland??
Emry cant think so. Something sounds very wrong here.
 

[twoleftfeet]

West Ham United have submitted an offer worth £57million ($70m) to sign Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran.
The east London club are long-term admirers of Duran but their proposal, which includes potential bonuses, is expected to be rejected.
Villa have no intention of selling the 21-year-old Colombia international in this transfer window and recently extended his contract until 2030, amid significant interest from numerous suitors.
The Athletic reported in July 2024 that West Ham had submitted a £30m ($38.6m) bid plus teenage midfielder Lewis Orford to sign Duran, but this was rejected by Villa.
Duran has scored 12 goals across all competitions for Villa this season — including in the opening-weekend win over West Ham — but has started only seven matches for Unai Emery’s side.
He moved to Villa Park from MLS side Chicago Fire in January 2023 but just seven of his 54 Premier League appearances have come as a starter.
England international Ollie Watkins has often been the preferred central striker for Emery, starting 24 matches this term.
West Ham have suffered setbacks in attacking positions in recent weeks with captain Jarrod Bowen out with a fractured foot and Niklas Fullkrug, the summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund, sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Michail Antonio is recovering from injuries suffered in a car crash in December and won’t return for the rest of the season.
The next Premier League game for each side is against each other with West Ham travelling to Villa Park on Sunday.

For £40m we could have David & Gomes

Madness.

[Lato]

Absolutely crazy for it to be even suggested that Duran would come to us for £57M. the tight arse poison Dwarf could have got him for half that amount in August!

[simons]

He’s not coming, Villa are not selling. Nothing to see here, just midget doing what he always does. 

[El Scorchio]

Not following the championship but must be some HG prospects there that can improve us?

I see Palace signed that winger from Millwall. Eze has worked out brilliantly for them as did Bowen for us.

not sure why we don’t look there anymore? Last one being Downes and I thought he was a tidy player. Better than that Argentinian tortoise we currently have anyway. 

 

To be fair, it's becoming hard to even find that much value in the championship now (at least compared to a guarantee of the player performing in the prermier league as well) Gone are the days of 5 million bargains. Seems like teams are paying 25-30 mill for young champ prospects now.

£8m odd for Michael Olise (albeit 3 or so years ago), £8m for Morgan Rogers, under £20m for Adam Wharton

Agreed not £5m but good value quality is still there 

It is but you have to be prepared to take a risk. Sullivan prefers to wait the extra 6 months or a year until the price has gone up 2x or 3x. See Duran, Jhon.

[El Scorchio]

Wow- what brilliant business acumen from Sullivan. Torpedoes a deal for 40 mill in the summer claiming it was too much, then goes back in for 17 million quid more, 4 months later. Absolute classic incompetence from the barrow boy. You couldn't make it up. It's his business model all over. Back out of a deal to secure a talent slightly ahead of the curve, then go back with your tail between your legs once someone else reaps all the rewards and gets to openly laugh at you while pulling your pants down in public.

And he has the gall to slate his own staff in public for poor dealings. This is fucking embarrassing stuff.
We know how this will go, if he's a success it'll be about how he got a deal over the line, if not it'll have been poor him being railroaded by nasty old Stiedten and Potter against his better judgement. Sure TS hasnt covered himself in glory but he'd have saved you 20 million if you'd have not been a prick in the summer.

[Jericho]

West Ham United have submitted an offer worth £57million ($70m) to sign Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran.
The east London club are long-term admirers of Duran but their proposal, which includes potential bonuses, is expected to be rejected.
Villa have no intention of selling the 21-year-old Colombia international in this transfer window and recently extended his contract until 2030, amid significant interest from numerous suitors.
The Athletic reported in July 2024 that West Ham had submitted a £30m ($38.6m) bid plus teenage midfielder Lewis Orford to sign Duran, but this was rejected by Villa.
Duran has scored 12 goals across all competitions for Villa this season — including in the opening-weekend win over West Ham — but has started only seven matches for Unai Emery’s side.
He moved to Villa Park from MLS side Chicago Fire in January 2023 but just seven of his 54 Premier League appearances have come as a starter.
England international Ollie Watkins has often been the preferred central striker for Emery, starting 24 matches this term.
West Ham have suffered setbacks in attacking positions in recent weeks with captain Jarrod Bowen out with a fractured foot and Niklas Fullkrug, the summer arrival from Borussia Dortmund, sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Michail Antonio is recovering from injuries suffered in a car crash in December and won’t return for the rest of the season.
The next Premier League game for each side is against each other with West Ham travelling to Villa Park on Sunday.

[stubbo]

Ornstein reporting the little prick in charge going back in for Duran with '57m incl. Add Ons'.   Can just hear the embarrassing email being clacked out on his keyboard now.


"We'll giv you 25m up front an another 32m if your player Duran wins the World Cup and the Ballon D'or while playing for us.  Take it or leave it...but be quick or we'll sign a portuguese bloke on loan from Leipzig".

[onsideman]

Not following the championship but must be some HG prospects there that can improve us?

I see Palace signed that winger from Millwall. Eze has worked out brilliantly for them as did Bowen for us.

not sure why we don’t look there anymore? Last one being Downes and I thought he was a tidy player. Better than that Argentinian tortoise we currently have anyway. 

 

To be fair, it's becoming hard to even find that much value in the championship now (at least compared to a guarantee of the player performing in the prermier league as well) Gone are the days of 5 million bargains. Seems like teams are paying 25-30 mill for young champ prospects now.

£8m odd for Michael Olise (albeit 3 or so years ago), £8m for Morgan Rogers, under £20m for Adam Wharton

Agreed not £5m but good value quality is still there 

[stubbo]

Not following the championship but must be some HG prospects there that can improve us?

I see Palace signed that winger from Millwall. Eze has worked out brilliantly for them as did Bowen for us.

not sure why we don’t look there anymore? Last one being Downes and I thought he was a tidy player. Better than that Argentinian tortoise we currently have anyway. 

 

To be fair, it's becoming hard to even find that much value in the championship now (at least compared to a guarantee of the player performing in the prermier league as well) Gone are the days of 5 million bargains. Seems like teams are paying 25-30 mill for young champ prospects now.

Appreciate they don't come cheap but compare our signing of Fullkrug to say Ipswich's Delap, it's a no brainer. Was always a gamble that Delap would perform in the Premier League as his season last year was good but not amazing. 

Signing HG players from the championship will atleast give us some sort of identity. I found Noble's autobiography interesting as he mentioned that a British core is crucial for a good squad. We seem to be losing that core year after year. Does it have any relation to us looking worse? Appreciate you have to get the balance right.

I would say the risk is also less. If you sign a player that has had a good season in the championship that is young with a career ahead of him, he is likely only going to improve. Downes was not seen as quite up to it and we still sold him for decent profit.

Making any kind of profit out of Fullkrug was always going to be impossible given his age. If we end up signing Soler permanently we may aswell give up altogether having any kind of transfer strategy. 

Totally agree with this....shifting failing players from abroad is very difficult as few clubs on the continent can come anywhere near to matching average Premier League wages.

Trouble is as it's always been...the little commander has no real sense for this stuff.  Thinks the whole world of football should dance to his tune, and when they don't packs his tiny toys up and says 'I'm not playing'.

The vitriol really needs to turn on Sullivan...he's had too easy a ride since Burnley.  COVID really was a fortuitous black swan event for him in that regards.

[Lee Trundle]

We've needed a CB & CF desperately since the window opened yet here we are 3 weeks later with no signings.

Since the window opened?

Have you only started supporting us since 2025, Brenty?  We've needed a CF for years.

[dealcanvey]

Not following the championship but must be some HG prospects there that can improve us?

I see Palace signed that winger from Millwall. Eze has worked out brilliantly for them as did Bowen for us.

not sure why we don’t look there anymore? Last one being Downes and I thought he was a tidy player. Better than that Argentinian tortoise we currently have anyway. 

 

To be fair, it's becoming hard to even find that much value in the championship now (at least compared to a guarantee of the player performing in the prermier league as well) Gone are the days of 5 million bargains. Seems like teams are paying 25-30 mill for young champ prospects now.

Appreciate they don't come cheap but compare our signing of Fullkrug to say Ipswich's Delap, it's a no brainer. Was always a gamble that Delap would perform in the Premier League as his season last year was good but not amazing. 

Signing HG players from the championship will atleast give us some sort of identity. I found Noble's autobiography interesting as he mentioned that a British core is crucial for a good squad. We seem to be losing that core year after year. Does it have any relation to us looking worse? Appreciate you have to get the balance right.

I would say the risk is also less. If you sign a player that has had a good season in the championship that is young with a career ahead of him, he is likely only going to improve. Downes was not seen as quite up to it and we still sold him for decent profit.

Making any kind of profit out of Fullkrug was always going to be impossible given his age. If we end up signing Soler permanently we may aswell give up altogether having any kind of transfer strategy. 

[El Scorchio]

We've needed a CB & CF desperately since the window opened yet here we are 3 weeks later with no signings.

Short arms deep pockets is gambling we’ve got enough to stay up with already at the club. And he’s probably right to be fair. We can muddle through with what we have when the injured are back. But I’d like to see a CB regardless 

[RootsRadical]

We've needed a CB & CF desperately since the window opened yet here we are 3 weeks later with no signings.

[El Scorchio]

He wants instant success that can be linked to him. It’s all about him. 

Potter will have to be successful in spite of having the worst owner / chairman in top flight football.  

Boom. Take a bow for that first statement sir 

[Sir Alf]

Sullivan, it always comes back to him.  As mentioned, buy players unless they have reputatiobs and experience ideally at “big” clubs regardless of whether they are any good anymore.  Always buys fir niw not the future so no surprise they are old and slow and we only get a couple of years from them at best, before selling at a loss.  He wants instant success that can be linked to him. Its all about him. 

Potter will have to be successful in spite of having the worst owner / chairman in top flight football.  

[twoleftfeet]

I reckon £30/£40m get's you Gomes and David from Lille, they surely wouldn't turn that kind of money down knowing that in the summer they can go for free.

Alternatively Sullivan will say why spend £40m now when we can have them for free in the summer?

Not that they would join us then.

[El Scorchio]

Sport Witness

West Ham and Bournemouth in for Noah Okafor – Medical drama sees move elsewhere collapse



By Naveen Ullal

West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth are ‘at the window’ for AC Milan’s Noah Okafor in the winter market.

That’s according to Monday’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, who state West Ham and Bournemouth are showing interest in the forward.

Earlier in this window, he came close to joining RB Leipzig, who had a deal in place with the Serie A side. It was for a loan [€2m loan fee] with an option to buy for €26m, but the transfer collapsed after Okafor apparently failed an aspect of his medical with Leipzig.

The Switzerland international has returned to the San Siro, where he has no future and could still be on the way out before this window closes. The report says he doesn’t have ‘any physical problems’ and is working on regaining full fitness.

Gazzetta state there are several teams showing interest in the 24-year-old, with West Ham and Bournemouth in the ‘front row’.

Okafor has played 550 minutes from 16 games this season, managing a goal and two assists in the process.

Graham Potter is currently without Michail Antonio and Niclas Füllkrug while Andoni Iraola’s strikers, Evanilson and Enes Ünal, picked up injuries earlier this month. Therefore, West Ham and Bournemouth are looking for a striker in January.

The Milan player mainly operates on the left wing but can be used as a centre forward.

Unwanted by present club, recently injured with a failed medical and way short of match fitness? Checks all the boxes for our usual loan until the end of the season scenario, where the cսnt won't be match fit until April anyway and will just sit on the bench.

[El Scorchio]

Anyone think we're not going to sign a single player this window?

I am convinced that if we had beaten Palace then I dont think we would be doing any business. If we grab an unlikely win at Villa the drawbridge will be pulled up.

Yeah I am inclined to agree. I can understand some logic behind it in terms of why buy yet more short term sticking plasters if we don;t really need to, because we're not going down. We'll be fine once Summerville and Bowen are back, and to an extent Todibo. IMO we should still be looking for a striker on loan to the end of the season who may have a couple of goals in him, and a centre back if we can. We will muddle through with the rest of what we have and give GP plenty of time to see what he's got fully and what he really needs.

However then it's absolutely down to Sullivan to back him and TS in the market fully in summer, rather than with half measures and 'Oh he's a couple of million more than I'd like to pay even if you say he's really good and full of promise and fits the system perfectly- I'll offer 10 mill under the asking price and see what happens' or 'not this guy you both want but how about this one my mate represents instead?'. We need to jettison players and bring in 5-6 new ones just to get out of the hole Sullivan put us in by employing Lop. 

[Alan]

Sport Witness

West Ham and Bournemouth in for Noah Okafor – Medical drama sees move elsewhere collapse



By Naveen Ullal

West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth are ‘at the window’ for AC Milan’s Noah Okafor in the winter market.

That’s according to Monday’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport, who state West Ham and Bournemouth are showing interest in the forward.

Earlier in this window, he came close to joining RB Leipzig, who had a deal in place with the Serie A side. It was for a loan [€2m loan fee] with an option to buy for €26m, but the transfer collapsed after Okafor apparently failed an aspect of his medical with Leipzig.

The Switzerland international has returned to the San Siro, where he has no future and could still be on the way out before this window closes. The report says he doesn’t have ‘any physical problems’ and is working on regaining full fitness.

Gazzetta state there are several teams showing interest in the 24-year-old, with West Ham and Bournemouth in the ‘front row’.

Okafor has played 550 minutes from 16 games this season, managing a goal and two assists in the process.

Graham Potter is currently without Michail Antonio and Niclas Füllkrug while Andoni Iraola’s strikers, Evanilson and Enes Ünal, picked up injuries earlier this month. Therefore, West Ham and Bournemouth are looking for a striker in January.

The Milan player mainly operates on the left wing but can be used as a centre forward.

[stubbo]

Looking at the way Sullivan operates in the transfer market, it seems clear (to me) that he'd rather make a few bags in commission on the side for his mates now than he would make a few million for the club in a few years time.

I wouldn't mind betting that he was spitting blood at the amount of time Rice stayed at the club after significant interest in him started.

 

 

Commission "for his mates"...behave...like he doesn't have an interest!?!  There's always been Borwn paper bags in football...the mediums have changed, but the blokes with their snouts in the trough haven't.  If he has favoured agents, it's advantageous to him...what they get is a frigne benefit...how do you think they became 'favoured' in the first place?!

[claypole]

Anyone think we're not going to sign a single player this window?

I am convinced that if we had beaten Palace then I dont think we would be doing any business. If we grab an unlikely win at Villa the drawbridge will be pulled up.

[El Scorchio]

Looking at the way Sullivan operates in the transfer market, it seems clear (to me) that he'd rather make a few bags in commission on the side for his mates now than he would make a few million for the club in a few years time.

I wouldn't mind betting that he was spitting blood at the amount of time Rice stayed at the club after significant interest in him started.

He certainly wasn't not pushing him out the door as soon as talk of a huge transfer fee started being spoken of. I seem to recall it was all 'Oh well we can't keep a player like that or match what other teams want to give him.' The prick.

The absolute irony of course being that Rice was picked up cheap as a reject from another academy and came through our youth system costing basically nothing, before in 6-8 years netting us a huge, huge fee and sheer profit, not to mention several match winning performances and a trophy along the way. Obviously not saying players like Rice grow on trees (or in paddy fields.....) but nevertheless that's stark evidence of that way of ding business paying huge dividends so for Sullivan to turn round and reject a low risk plan to try and find more Rices is just baffling at best and incompetent at worst. And also to seeminly abandon trying to buy players for the future rather than immediate impact. Is he so greedy for instant satisfaction that he can't see the other approach while requiring more patience is clearly far more fruitful?

Reminds me of a small child when you say to them something like 'Do you want to go to the arcades for 5 mins now and then spend an hour walking round a museum, or go to the museum for 5 mins first and then spend an hour in the arcades?' And the answer is usually 'Arcades now! Arcades now!' Then moan and say it's unfair when they get bored in the museum. Absolute lack of the capability to think long term or strategically.

[Mike Oxsaw]

Looking at the way Sullivan operates in the transfer market, it seems clear (to me) that he'd rather make a few bags in commission on the side for his mates now than he would make a few million for the club in a few years time.

I wouldn't mind betting that he was spitting blood at the amount of time Rice stayed at the club after significant interest in him started.