West Ham United is looking for potential midfield transfer targets across Europe. The Eredivisie duo of Edson Alvarez and Ibrahim Sangare have won the heart of David Moyes.
The Hammers were one of the more active clubs during the summer transfer window, bringing in players like Gianluca Scamacca, Lucas Paqueta, Thilo Kehrer, and Emerson Palmieri to David Moyes’ previously depleted squad for a net expenditure of just under £150 million.
Flynn Downes, a central midfielder who joined Moyes’ squad from Swansea of the Championship, has made an impression in his eight appearances so far, the majority of which have come in the Europa Conference League. The 23-year-old has impressed.
West Ham is aware that additional midfield reinforcements are required, especially given the uncertainty surrounding captain Declan Rice’s long-term future.
Nearly six months after negotiations between the team and the player’s representatives were put on hold, Tomas Soucek, one half of the club’s renown “Czech mates,” is still without a new contract.
Paqueta and Manuel Lanzini are much better suited to playing further forward behind a central striker than Rice and Soucek, along with Downes and Pablo Fornals, who continue to be West Ham’s only real options in the middle of the park.
After spending a lot of time watching matches in the Netherlands, West Ham’s scouts have been on the lookout for potential targets. Two players who have recently caught their attention are Alvarez and Sangare.
Alvarez, 25, who will represent Mexico at the 2022 World Cup, was a target for Chelsea late in the summer transfer window and had previously been watched by Manchester United. Sangare, who impressed during his two years at PSV, has also been on the radar of several European clubs.
Sangare committed his future to PSV by signing a new contract in the summer. His new deal runs through 2027. Alvarez and the Ivory Coast international are eager to relocate to England if the right opportunity arises.
It is unclear whether West Ham will provide that opportunity, but the marquee signings of Scamacca and Paqueta over the summer highlighted the Hammers’ appeal, which was influenced by their second consecutive season of competing in Europe.
Hugo Guillamon of Valencia, who like Alvarez can play in central defense or as a defensive midfielder, is another player West Ham is keeping an eye on.
