“SHOCKING SCOOP! David Ornstein Drops BOMBSHELL: West Ham’s Ivan Toney Mega-Deal and Man United Duo’s JAW-DROPPING Transfer Secrets REVEALED!”
David Ornstein expects West Ham to be active in January but doubts the arrivals of Ivan Toney, Joshua Zirkzee, or Kobbie Mainoo.
Carlton Cole summed up the mood among West Ham fans after Nuno Espirito Santo’s side fell 2–1 to Leeds on Friday night, admitting “January can’t come soon enough.”
Nuno appears to share that sentiment, with reports from Graeme Bailey revealing the Portuguese manager has already flagged the centre-forward position as a major concern.
Niclas Fullkrug has struggled to adapt to Premier League football, while relying on a 33-year-old Callum Wilson and untested Callum Marshall is far from ideal.
Bailey claims the Hammers have opened talks with Real Madrid over possible loan moves for young forwards Endrick and Gonzalo Garcia.
Alternatively, more proven names such as Brentford’s Ivan Toney and Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee have also been discussed.
However, according to David Ornstein, neither Toney nor Zirkzee are realistic January targets.
Sources indicate Toney will not return to the Premier League until at least mid-2026, while United boss Ruben Amorim plans to keep Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo.
Despite speculation linking Mainoo with a West Ham loan, a move is considered highly unlikely.
Ornstein also revealed that chairman David Sullivan will retain a key role in the club’s transfer activity, working alongside Nuno and his agent Jorge Mendes.
West Ham are currently searching for a new head of recruitment, but for now, transfer decisions will be made jointly by Sullivan, Nuno, and the existing recruitment team.
Decisions on major targets are expected around mid-December once Nuno settles fully into his role.
The club’s current struggles, Ornstein argues, stem from previous missteps under Tim Steidten and Kyle Macaulay.
Steidten pushed for signings such as Fullkrug, Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo, James Ward-Prowse, and Luis Guilherme—many of whom have underperformed.
Macaulay, who followed Graham Potter to the club, has since departed. Ornstein summed up the period as one defined by “muddled thinking” and costly recruitment errors that continue to burden West Ham.
