West Ham launch last-ditch move to sign Hull City defender
West Ham have enquired about a deal for Hull City centre-back John Egan.
It’s no secret that Nuno Espirito Santo is hoping to sign a central defender before Monday’s transfer deadline.
West Ham have just lost Jean-Clair Todibo for a minimum of three games, after the Frenchman was shown a straight red card for violent conduct in the Hammers’ 3-2 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday.
That’s stretched an already thin centre-back room to breaking point at the London Stadium, and now Nuno is frantically looking for reinforcements in that department before 7pm on Monday.
West Ham eyeing swoop for Hull City’s John Egan
With Todibo facing the likelihood of seeing his three-game suspension extended by The FA due to the seriousness of the incident, Nuno currently only has Max Kilman, Ezra Mayers and Konstantinos Mavropanos as recognised centre-backs.
It’s been revealed on Sunday that West Ham have accepted defeated in their Taylor Harwood-Bellis pursuit, and are now exploring other alternatives away from the Southampton star.
That appears to have taken them to a different Championship outfit though, as according to talkSPORT’s Alex Crook via X, West Ham have enquired about signing Hull centre-back Egan.
Crook also states that Egan, 33, is also subject to interest from fellow second tier promotion rivals Ipswich Town.
Egan signed for Hull in February 2025 from Burnley, and has been a stalwart in the Tigers’ starting XI this season, starting 25 of their 29 Championship games.
Hull currently sit third in the second tier table, five points behind second-placed Middlesbrough, in what is proving to be a remarkable effort considering they’re under transfer fee restrictions and face major financial issues.
West Ham should have eyes on different Hull centre-back
West Ham were linked with signing Egan in the summer of 2024, so he’s clearly a player that has his admirers at the London Stadium.
However, now 33 and his last taste of Premier League football being in a seven-appearance 2023-24 season with Sheffield United, a potential swoop for him now does have a certain feel of desperation about it.
If West Ham are looking to raid the MKM Stadium before the deadline, then they should forget Egan and instead explore a deal for Charlie Hughes.
The 22-year-old has established himself as one of the best central defenders in the Championship, and has been touted with a big-money move away from Hull both last summer and this winter.
Hughes looks every bit of a Premier League defender in waiting, and could be had for a reasonable fee, and so the Hammers should be looking there rather than Egan.
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