Having reported on Max Hahn and some of his targets in one of my previous articles, C&H have learnt that The Head of Technical Recruitment and Analysis has highlighted a number of players to Nuno Espírito Santo from the Belgium league.
Two of the names on the list currently ply their trade at Club Brugge, the targets have been kept under wraps, yet C&H believes this to be a young international centre back and a striker who has worked his way up through the academy.
Elsewhere, Union Saint-Gilloise in which Brighton owner Tony Bloom holds a minority stake have a Canadian international, Promise David a 6ft 5” striker who has scored 24 goals in 46 appearances since joining in 2024, and is contracted to the club until 2029. West Ham have made enquiries.
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David, no relation to Jonathan David was already highlighted by Blooms data approach, and formerly played in Estonia for Nomme Kaliju where he graduated from their under-21 team. For the youth team he scored 22 goals in 19 games and went onto hit 21 goals in 39 games for the first team.
24 year old, 6’5” striker now on Leeds & West Ham’s January watchlist
At only 24 years old, he is expected to command a fee of around £17m with Leeds United also reportedly closely monitoring the situation. However it is Brighton who could potentially hijack any deal in a situation similar to that of Eli Junior Kroupi who joined Bournemouth from Lorient (both owned by Blacknight Football Club) and has scored four goals in eight appearances for the Cherries. Kroupi was another player identified by Max Hahn.
Brighton were reportedly interested in signing Promise in the summer window and are likely to reignite their interest in the January transfer window.
Multi-club ownership is making the transfer market increasingly complex, and clubs like West Ham often find themselves at a disadvantage. Player movement within ownership networks reduces availability, inflates prices for outsiders, and limits opportunities for independent teams trying to strengthen their squads.
