West Ham entered the transfer window in need of reinforcements, particularly in attack, with Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen on the sidelines.
The main change for the Hammers this month, however, has been in the dugout with the sacking of Julen Lopetegui, followed by the appointment of Graham Potter as the club’s head coach.
The Hammers have been scrutinising their £130million summer transfer spend led by technical director Tim Steidten, who has had a reduced role in January ahead of his expected departure from the club.
Co-owner David Sullivan has taken a leading role in negotiations this month, while Potter has brought in a new head of recruitment in Kyle Macaulay, who he worked with at Chelsea and Brighton.
The recruitment team now only has limited time to strengthen Potter’s squad. Here, our West Ham expert James Sharpe answers five key questions facing the Hammers before the window closes on February 3.
West Ham boss Graham Potter will be hoping for reinforcements in attack before the deadline
Kyle Macaulay, right, has reunited with Potter and will serve as their head of recruitment
What business have West Ham done so far in January and will they be happy with it?
None. Nothing incoming anyway. The only first-team movement has been winger Maxwel Cornet’s loan at Southampton being terminated and him joining Italian club Genoa on another loan until the end of the season.
The fans won’t be happy with the lack of business, having been linked with every available striker agents are keen to flog, but I don’t think Graham Potter will be too fussed, actually.
He feels that panic buying a striker just for the sake of it is likely to do more damage than it solves.
He’s still getting to grips with his squad and what’s important to him, as he keeps telling us, is getting the right player, who is the right fit, and the right person, for the right price.
Maxwel Cornet’s Southampton loan ending for him to join Genoa is the sole first team movement this window
What more do they need and do they have money to spend?
Potter might not want any old striker, but he does need to bolster his front line. Niclas Fullkrug is out for a while with a hamstring injury, Michail Antonio is still recovering after his car crash, Crysencio Summerville is taking longer to recover from his injury than expected and Jarrod Bowen has been out since December with a fractured foot.
Danny Ings is Potter’s only fit striker but the Hammers boss has preferred to start either Lucas Paqueta or Mohammed Kudus as makeshift front men. Paqueta is also an injury doubt for the trip to Chelsea on deadline day.
All the messaging from the top of the club at the start of the window was that West Ham needed to sell players before they bought anyone but, suddenly, found nearly £60million down the back of the sofa to bid for Jhon Duran.
As is often the case with West Ham, they find the money somewhere.
Who are they targeting?
From what Mail Sport understand, it’s likely to be Brighton striker Evan Ferguson or nothing at all for West Ham.
The club, and Potter, are keen on the move and negotiations are rumbling on over whether it’s a permanent deal or a loan, either with an option or obligation to buy or none at all.
Potter knows Ferguson well, giving him his debut at Brighton, though the Republic of Ireland international has not played since December with an ankle injury.
The Hammers were interested in Ajax forward Brian Brobbey but their asking price was much too high and wanted cash up front instead of a loan with the potential or a sale at the end of the season that West Ham would have preferred.
West Ham want Brighton’s Evan Ferguson, with talks ongoing over a permanent deal or loan
Who could still leave?
If anything encapsulates the mess of West Ham’s scattergun summer transfer strategy it’s the future of Brazilian winger Luis Guilherme.
The 18-year-old signed for £25.5m in the summer, hasn’t started a single Premier League game and now could leave for half the price eight months later with Shakhtar Donetsk tabling a bid of £12m.
The man responsible for bringing him to the club, technical director Tim Steidten, is finalising his departure from West Ham and has had his access to the club’s transfer data restricted.
Luis Guilherme, a £25.5m summer signing, could leave West Ham for just half the price
Jarrod Bowen’s return from a fractured foot will be a significant boost for the Hammers
Which West Ham players have stepped up in January and could be ‘like a new signing’ for the rest of the season?
He’s not stepped up yet as he’s been injured since December but the return of Bowen will be monumental for Potter.
The Hammers captain has come back from a fractured foot ahead of schedule and could feature at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.
Young left-back Oliver Scarles has been given a chance under Potter and impressed.
A word, too, for Paqueta who went from matchwinner to liability under Julen Lopetegui but already under Potter has scored a couple of goals and put in some superb performances in unfamiliar positions, though all eyes remain on his hearings in March over his alleged role in a spot-fixing scandal that saw him pick up four suspicious yellow cards.
