West Ham United have reportedly reached an agreement with an attacking target as they look to seal some late January signings.
West Ham transfer rumours
The Hammers and David Moyes secured their first addition of the winter window last week when Kalvin Phillips joined on loan from Manchester City. Talking after putting pen to paper at the London Stadium, the new no. 11 said:
“I’m really pleased to be here. There’s always been a lot of speculation about me moving to West Ham, so I’m really excited to get going now.
“There’s so much to look forward to in the second half of the season for the Club and I can’t wait to be part of it. There’s an unbelievable group here and if I can come in and add the quality that I know I’m capable of, I’m sure we can give the West Ham fans plenty to be excited about between now and the end of the season."
The holding midfielder may not be the only signing of the month, though, with plenty of speculation regarding additions in the final third. Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson has been mooted as a target, as has young forward Ibrahim Osman from FC Norsjaelland.
Another rumoured target has been winger Jota. Recent claims suggested that a loan deal was close for the Portuguese attacker, and there’s now been a breakthrough in talks with the player.
West Ham reach agreement with Jota
According to journalist Santi Aouna, West Ham and Jota have now reached an agreement over a London Stadium transfer. He adds that the Hammers and Al-Ittihad are holding “positive talks”, with the player waiting to travel to England.
Things haven’t exactly gone to plan in Saudi Arabia for the 24-year-old following a big-money transfer from Celtic. In total, he has only made 11 appearances for Al-Ittihad, playing just 511 minutes of action.
However, West Ham only have to look at his time in Scotland to see what an impressive player Jota is, with the winger netting 28 times and registering 26 assists in 83 Celtic games. Jota also came in for praise from Alan Hutton while at Celtic, with the former full-back waxing lyrical over the winger.
“He’s still developing. He’s probably only going to get better, I think he can get better. What he’s done this season has been incredible, for him to come from his parent club, where he’s not really been playing. Benfica are a big club in their own right but to come to another club where there’s a lot of pressure, to perform at such a young age, he’s stood up to that task.
“Jota’s that player fans want to see. He’s exciting, he takes people on, he makes things happen, he scores goals and ticks all the boxes.”