“SHOCKER: English Prodigy STUNNED by West Ham’s £13M Bid – ‘I Was Speechless!’ You Won’t Believe His Reaction!”

Well, in truth, it never came particularly close.

As West Ham United scrambled through a frantic transfer deadline day in search of a new central defender, they found themselves frustrated on several fronts.

Chelsea’s out-of-favour Axel Disasi declined their approach, while a move for Braga’s Bright Arrey-Mbi also collapsed before it could gather any real momentum.

When the dust settled on deadline day, Charlie Cresswell was still very much a Toulouse player – despite significant interest from East London.

That situation certainly wasn’t down to a lack of persistence from the Hammers’ hierarchy.

Charlie Cresswell addresses West Ham links

According to journalist Alan Nixon, West Ham had put forward a proposal to take Cresswell on loan with a clause to buy set at around £13 million. Toulouse, however, were unmoved.

Sporting director Viktor Behzani remained firm on their £17 million valuation and, once the window slammed shut, he made it clear that the French club were delighted to have retained the services of the England Under-21 defender.

As for the player himself, Cresswell revealed there was little temptation to follow in the footsteps of Aaron Cresswell and make the switch to the London Stadium.

“It’s just part of the life of a footballer during the transfer window,” the former Leeds United academy graduate explained in an interview with La Depeche.

“I heard about the interest, from West Ham and from other clubs in Europe too. But I tried not to dwell on it and kept myself focused on what I’m doing here in Toulouse – training hard, staying sharp, and giving everything for the team.

“In the end, I’m still here, and I think that’s fantastic. This club gave me an opportunity to prove my worth last season, and as long as I’m playing for TFC, I’ll give absolutely everything.

I don’t want to go into too many details about what happened behind the scenes, but I can say honestly that I didn’t need convincing to stay.”

Cresswell also reflected on his positive experiences in France: “I had a really good season, I met brilliant people both inside and outside the club.

I felt myself progressing every week, and then to finish it with the European Under-21 Championship title for England this summer was just incredible. That’s one of the greatest moments of my career so far.”

The young centre-back was a starter in England’s dramatic 3-2 extra-time victory over Germany in the final, partnering Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarrell Quansah at the heart of defence.

Toulouse pleased to retain key assets

Behzani, meanwhile, emphasised that the club were always transparent with their players throughout the transfer window.

“Several of our squad members attracted serious interest this summer,” he noted. “But we always had open conversations.

We understand that players have dreams and ambitions to play at the highest level, but if they move, it has to be to the right club and at the right time.

“We’re happy that we’ve kept these players, and we believe they also see the benefit of another season here. The opening games of the season have already shown that we can aspire to great things.”

West Ham move for Igor Julio

In the meantime, West Ham did manage to secure defensive reinforcements before the deadline, completing a deal for Brighton’s Igor Julio.

The versatile defender, who can operate both as a centre-half and a full-back, is expected to make his debut in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur, alongside fellow new recruit Soungoutou Magassa.

“As you can imagine with the window, things happen fast,” manager Graham Potter said. “When the opportunity came up for Nayef Aguerd to leave for Marseille, it created an opening for us to bring in Igor.

He’s settled quickly, trained really well, and integrated into the group. He’s a positive personality and adds depth and flexibility to our defence. I’m very happy with the competition we now have.”

Chelsea swoop for Emanuel Emegha

While Cresswell will be spending at least another year in France, another of Ligue 1’s most highly regarded young players has already made the leap to England.

Emanuel Emegha completed a move to Chelsea from sister club Strasbourg after being on West Ham’s radar earlier in the summer.

For West Ham, deadline day may not have gone exactly as planned, but with Igor through the door and Cresswell committed to Toulouse for now, the Hammers will hope their reshaped defence proves strong enough for the challenges ahead.