Ivan Toney may have added fuel to growing speculation he could sign for West Ham in January after being spotted in London alongside a former Hammers captain.
The January transfer window opens in just over three weeks and for West Ham it could be the last chance saloon when it comes to saving their Premier League lives.
Nuno Espirito Santo told West Ham’s board he needs a striker in January just one game into his Hammers tenure.
That’s how unimpressed he was with German flop Niclas Fullkrug, who will be shipped out the moment the window opens.
Beyond Fullkrug, West Ham have been left reliant on ageing and injury-prone Callum Wilson.
West Ham hunting new striker for Nuno in January
In fairness to the former Newcastle star, he has proved he can still get goals at the top level since arriving at the London Stadium.
Playing up front for West Ham is often a thankless task, though.
A young, strong and pacy forward was needed in the summer.
But Graham Potter reportedly felt his money would be better spent elsewhere, signing the likes of goalkeeper Mads Hermansen for £17m instead.
West Ham are paying the price now and Nuno has been linked with a host of strikers ahead of January.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Joshua Zirkzee, Chris Wood, Gabriel Jesus and Ivan Toney are just a few of the names supposedly on West Ham’s radar.
It is links with Toney that have Hammers fans most excited, though.
Journalist Alan Nixon claimed back in October that West Ham are ‘working on’ a potential deal for Toney.
Hammers News ran a poll recently asking our readers to name their preferred replacement for Fullkrug with four options; Toney, Zirkzee, Endrick and Kaio Jorge.
Who would you pick to replace Niclas Fullkrug at West Ham?
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Given Toney scored 20 Premier League goals for Brentford as recently as the 2022/23 season, it is hardly surprising that he received 70 per cent of the vote.
The former Brentford striker has been repeatedly linked with a move to the London Stadium.
In fact West Ham chief David Sullivan lists his failure to sign Toney for £10m from Peterborough as the biggest regret of his career after spurning the advice of close friend Barry Fry.
Hammers News was told back in October that Toney was in no rush to leave Saudi Arabia.
But his latest omission from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad may have changed Toney’s mind as the reality of missing out on successive World Cups becomes a clear possibility.
Turning 30 in March, this is likely Toney’s last chance of representing his country at a World Cup.
Toney in London with ex West Ham captain after Hammers links
There have been claims Toney’s tax situation and wages could be circumnavigated in order to do a short-term deal for the rest of the season.
And reports have been suggesting desperate West Ham are not giving up on a January deal.
So tongues may be set wagging after Toney was spotted in London with ex West Ham captain Declan Rice ahead of window after those Hammers links.
With the window fast approaching and West Ham in the market for a marquee forward, the timing couldn’t be more intriguing.
Photo by WUN SUEN/AFP via Getty Images
Toney attended Arsenal’s game against Brentford and met with close friend Rice after the game.
The former West Ham captain posted a picture of himself with Toney on social media.
“Good to see my brother Ivan Toney,” Rice said on his Instagram Stories.
The Hammers will be hoping Rice puts in a good word for them if Toney is indeed entertaining a short-term – or indeed permanent – return to the Premier League.
Toney’s shot at a move to an elite club has probably been and gone now.
Would you take Adama Traore at West Ham for £5m, or who would you sign instead? Let us know in the comments…
“Nuno has been a massive figure for me. It’s the confidence he gives me.That is massive for a player.
“Maybe you think it’s just me but, if you ask any of the guys, they will tell you that the confidence of the manager is as important as the training you do on a daily basis.
“A lot has changed for me but the football ability has always been there. It’s just [I needed] a little bit of adjusting.”
– Adama Traore on Nuno, 2020
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There will be few bigger clubs than West Ham who would be in for Toney, where he would also be a guaranteed starter week in, week out.
So the Hammers have plenty to offer the striker if he is open to a move.
Rice continues to show his love for the Hammers.
Just this week Rice paid tribute to West Ham legend Billy Bonds.
And last month ex Hammers skipper Rice reminisced about West Ham’s Europa Conference League triumph when playing in Prague with Arsenal.
So if the subject of a January move to West Ham did come up in conversation between Rice and Toney, he would undoubtedly have helped grease the wheels.
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