Report: West Ham in talks with midfield duo
West Ham United have long needed to make moves to improve the centre of their midfield, something they finally did on Wednesday.
The club completed the loan signing of Czech midfielder Tomas Soucek from Slavia Prague on loan until the end of the season.
However, it appears that they could be looking to strengthen the middle of the park even further.
French outlet Foot Mercato reported on Wednesday that the Hammers are in advanced negotiations with Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham.
The 23-year-old was linked with moves to Marseille and Lyon last summer, but ultimately remained with the Scottish champions.
Meanwhile, the report claims that the Hammers are also in talks to sign midfielder Pape Cheikh Diop, who is on loan at Celta Vigo from Lyon.
Are either of these midfielders needed after Soucek’s signing?
There’s still not a lot of central midfield depth at the London Stadium, despite the signing of the 24-year-old. Carlos Sanchez and Jack Wilshere remain problems.
Moving forward, you’d hopefully have Declan Rice, Mark Noble and Soucek as reliable options, along with young Josh Cullen. Conor Coventry probably isn’t ready yet, while Sanchez will be gone soon and Wilshere cannot be relied upon.
So there would be room for another central midfielder, particularly with Noble only getting older. Ntcham would provide something different: a significant creative and goalscoring threat from central midfield.
In other West Ham news, a Midlands club is preparing to offer a £10million fee to the Hammers for a star winger.