West Ham Are Taking ‘Big Risk’ with January Signing Plan - Expert

West Ham United are gambling heavily with their January 2026 transfer strategy amid a perilous Premier League relegation battle, according to experts. Under manager Nuno Espirito Santo, the Hammers sit in the drop zone, seven points from safety, winless in 10 games, and boasting the league's leakiest defense. Desperate for attacking firepower, they've splashed nearly £48 million on two strikers: Valentín 'Taty' Castellanos (undisclosed from Lazio, around £26m) and Pablo Felipe (£21.8m from Gil Vicente).[1][3][4][5]

These early-window arrivals—Pablo on January 2 and Castellanos on January 5—aim to bolster a misfiring attack led by captain Jarrod Bowen, summer signings Mateus Fernandes, and El Hadji Malick Diouf. Castellanos, once a four-goal hero against Real Madrid, and Pablo are priced at £5.5m each in Fantasy Premier League, signaling high expectations to rescue the season.[1][3][5]

However, the big risk lies in offloading key assets without fully addressing defensive frailties. Outgoings include Niclas Füllkrug (loan to AC Milan with permanent option), Luis Guilherme (£12-17.4m to Sporting Lisbon), and loans for Callum Marshall (VfL Bochum), George Earthy (Bristol City), Kaelan Casey (Leyton Orient), and others like Krisztian Hegyi and Junior Robinson. West Ham rejected £30m for Lucas Paquetá amid Flamengo interest, prioritizing squad depth for the "relegation dogfight."[1][2][3][4]

Experts warn this striker-heavy approach overlooks urgent needs for a No. 9 beyond Füllkrug (linked to Wolfsburg) and defensive reinforcements. A Barcelona loan bid for Marc-André ter Stegen was rebuffed, with the keeper preferring Girona. Nuno eyes further deals like Fulham's Adama Traoré, Promise David, or Axel Disasi, but with the window closing February 2, failure to balance the squad could doom West Ham to the Championship.[1][2][5][6][7]

(Word count: 298)