West Ham United

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We asked for your views on James Ward-Prowse moving to Burnley on loan and where it has left the squad with Lucas Paqueta also set to leave.

Here are some of your comments:

Ben: Both good moves for West Ham. JWP will hopefully help Burnley take some points off Leeds and Forest. Plus, he can't play against us, so he won't come back to haunt us. Paqueta doesn't want to be at West Ham, and he is a shadow of the player he was. It's best to cash in and spend the money elsewhere.

David: Feel sorry for JWP. I'm sorry to see him go, but not really sure what the issue between him and Nuno was! I was glad when we signed him and think he was underused. Paqueta is different class but doesn't want to be here any more. It's better for the team that he's away and not a distraction. We'll miss him, though, as he could find a pass that others didn't see and his ball control was superb.

Mike: No-brainer to let Paqueta go. A pale shadow of his former self, which is such a shame. We'll be forever grateful for the pass to Bowen in the Conference League final and he goes with our best wishes. The freezing out of Ward-Prowse is bizarre. Two managers have now done it and shipped him out on loan. Feel sorry for the lad.

Jon: Nuno dropped Ward-Prowse out of the squad from day one, while simultaneously saying he needed every player, so seems like something personal. That said, it showed a decisiveness that Graham Potter didn't possess. I wish him all the best at Burnley and don't believe we will miss him. He does remain a consummate professional.

Glen: I'm fine with letting JWP leave, but you do not sanction a move to a rival who could yet play a part in sending you down. With the midfield now looking light in numbers, we are going to have to rely on youth. In my opinion, central defence is a must to strengthen in this window. Please sign a commanding defender ASAP who can help keep a clean sheet. No nonsense is fine, just someone who will put their body on the line.

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (17:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Nuno has no serious injuries in his squad, but emphasised there are "always things to assess" and "always knocks".

• On Lucas Paqueta, who is nearing a move to Flamengo: "It's not official yet but we as a club have allowed him to travel to do his medical. We found a solution where everyone was aware and we came to a good conclusion. Lucas was clear that he wanted to return home and we expect a medical and things to be official."

• How does he feel about Paqueta's departure? "For me Lucas is a special player and special person. Things could have been different at the club. Many things happened to come to this end. The circumstances is what he is. He wanted to return to Brazil. We will him all the very best."

• On life without the Brazilian: "You cannot replace Lucas, because he is unique, with special qualities. You cannot find many players like Lucas in the market. We have to move forward. We have played without him in the last three matches."

• Nuno said the club are working on deals before Monday's deadline: "We still have days to go, and the club is working very hard. There are negotiations that are ongoing. We expect things to happen, and it's always been about rebalancing the squad and making the squad more competitive by adding options than can make sure we can keep fighting."

• On new signing Adama Traore: "I know him very well. I've worked with him for many years, and I know him - that's why I said he's unique. There aren't many players with his ability in one-v-ones, his pace and he has great threat. He has good energy not only on the pitch but in the dressing room and in the training ground. He's a special person to have around."

• Nuno added that he has not decided whether Traore will be involved against Chelsea but he is "physically OK and could become an option".

• On Crysensio Summerville's recent form: "What's happening is that the players are starting to know themselves better, and the connections are starting to appear. Cry is giving us now what I think he should more times - goals, assists, threat, he defends a lot. He is doing well, but we'll keep insisting on more, because he can give more."

• On the challenge posed by the Blues: "I saw the [Napoli] game last night. Chelsea have a fantastic squad, and they are playing very good. They have so many options and there are so many things Liam [Rosenior] can take advantage of. "

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to full live commentary of Chelsea v West Ham from on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds from 17:30 on Saturday

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James Ward-Prowse's loan move to Burnley on Wednesday looks to be one of two midfield departures before Monday's transfer deadline, with a deal agreed to sell Lucas Paqueta to Flamengo for more than 41m euros (£35.5m).

Ward-Prowse joined the Hammers from Southampton in August 2023 and has made 78 appearances, spending the first half of the 2024-25 season on loan at Nottingham Forest and playing 10 times under then manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

However, since Nuno succeeded Graham Potter as West Ham boss in September, Ward-Prowse has not played a single minute and has repeatedly been left out of the matchday squad.

In the case of Paqueta, who joined the Hammers from Lyon in 2022, West Ham had been open to agreeing a deal that would have meant the 28-year-old stayed at the club on loan for the rest of the season, but Flamengo have pushed to complete the move this month.

So what do you make of these moves? Is it right to let Ward-Prowse move to a relegation rival and why do you think he was never used by Nuno? Where do these departures leave the squad?

Get in touch with your views here

Serie A strugglers Fiorentina have contacted West Ham about signing defender Kyle Walker-Peters and midfielder Soungoutou Magassa from the Hammers. (Gazzetta dello Sport, via Football Italia), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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We asked for your views on West Ham's signing of Adama Traore from Fulham.

Here are some of your comments:

Iain: He's undoubtedly a good player. My only concern is that he's had very little match time over the past couple of years, so he might be a bit rusty. Could be a useful impact player though once he gets those little legs running...

Trevor: Bench player, maybe at wing-back, using pace and muscle. Good back-up for Bowen and Summerville. But we need a seasoned central defender desperately - that should have been the priority.

James: Traore could be just the player West Ham need, strong, physical and unbelievable pace along with experience and clearly a player Nuno likes. Would like to see a defender signed to supplement this as the lack of clean sheets is a concern.

Robin: Nuno knows him and fee is nominal. Will add strength to the squad surely?

Dan: Not the player he was. Perhaps Nuno will get more out of him as he did at Wolves. I believe he will be used sparingly unless injuries/suspensions dictate. Two decent centre-backs are more pressing.

Bob: He could be useful but he's a bit hit and miss! It's yet another signing of a player probably past his best. Let's hope his energy and perhaps goals helps us get clear of relegation.

Aaron: I think Adama is a player who can make a real difference in the second half of the season off the bench. Maybe not the most aesthetic or technically gifted player in the league, but a grafter and battler who we've missed the like of after Antonio's departure.

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West Ham have announced the signing of winger Adama Traore from Fulham on a permanent deal of £1m rising to £2m.

The 30-year-old has made just two Premier League starts for Fulham this season and was not involved in Saturday's 2–1 win at home to Brighton.

"I'm so happy to be here, so happy to help the team the maximum I can and show my quality," Traore told the club's media.

"I've been seeing West Ham for a long time. It's a massive club, a massive fanbase.

"I've been watching since I was young, when I watched films about West Ham. I know about the fans and how much passion they have."

Hammers boss Nuno Espírito Santo added that he was "very happy" to have Traore join his side, having also coached the forward during his time at Wolves.

"I am looking forward to working with him again," Nuno said.

"Adama is someone who knows the Premier League very well and his unique qualities as a player will help us between now and the end of the season.

"He will give us a different option in attacking areas. He is also very motivated to fight for us and ready to bring energy, commitment and determination to our challenge."

West Ham fans, what do you think? Is Traore the sort of player your side has been missing this season and how involved will he be?

Get in touch with your views here

West Ham are looking at loan deals for Tottenham's Czech keeper Antonin Kinsky, 22, and Chelsea's French defender Axel Disasi, 27, but the Hammers will have to send Brazilian defender Igor Julio, 27, back to Brighton to help make both deals happens. (Guardian), external

Burnley are in talks with West Ham over signing 31-year-old English midfielder James Ward-Prowse on loan. (Telegraph), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Brighton defender Igor Julio has returned to the Seagulls after a loan spell at West Ham.

The 27-year-old, who joined Brighton in 2023, played just four times for the Hammers having joined on loan in September.

Albion's sporting director Jason Ayto said: "We're very pleased to welcome Igor back to the club. He will now be part of the squad going forward, and his return gives us added competition and cover in defence for the remainder of the season."

James Jones
Fan writer

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West Ham have won three games in a row in all competitions, and all of a sudden some confidence has been injected into the football club.

Victories against Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup, and Tottenham and Sunderland in the Premier League have alleviated a lot of the pressure on Nuno Espirito Santo's shoulders after a run of incredibly damaging defeats by Nottingham Forest, Wolves and Fulham left the club seven points adrift of safety.

The gap is now five points, which means there's still a lot of work to be done. But aside from the uptick in form, it has been the performances in the recent wins which have been the most pleasing to see.

There's a bit of a swagger about the squad again, especially evident in Saturday's impressive 3-1 victory over Sunderland. The players are very clearly playing for the manager and, most importantly, for each other.

Crysencio Summerville's three goals in as many games will have boosted his confidence no end, while the arrival of new forward signings Taty Castellanos and Pablo has allowed Jarrod Bowen to return to his favoured position on the right wing. Mateus Fernandes is thriving in midfield in the absence of Lucas Paqueta.

Defensively, there are still issues we desperately need to fix in the final week of the winter transfer window - one clean sheet all season is just not good enough - but going forward and in the middle of the park, we look far more like a team which is more than good enough to compete at this level.

That's the most encouraging aspect as we enter the final 15 league games of the season.

If the squad can keep up this form, continue to show the same level of hunger and, hopefully, start keeping more clean sheets, the pressure will well and truly be on Leeds and Nottingham Forest to keep the Hammers behind them.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

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We asked for your views on how you feel about Lucas Paqueta's impending exit? Do West Ham need to go into the market to replace him? Or should they invest the proceeds elsewhere?

Here are some of your comments:

Kevin: Let him move on. I will forever be grateful for "that" pass in Prague but all too often he's been a liability. Poor decisions on the ball lead to a loss of possession followed by throwing himself to the floor in an effort to con the ref. That rarely worked. Take the money and reinvest it in a decent centre back - we already have enough in midfield.

Joe: Mateus Fernandes is a very different option to Paqueta. Fernandes is a grafter with an eye for goal or a through pass. Lucas is a great player but he is a liability in a struggling side like ours. Time to get a good price for him and buy a decent center half.

James: It was surely only a matter of time before Paqueta left after everything he has experienced. He has been a great player for the club but now feels the right time to move on for both parties. On recent performances Fernandes has shown he can step up. I would also like to see Ward-Prowse get some game time too.

Gary: Have thought for a long while that even with his undoubted skill Paqueta has been holding us back by falling down too much. Lewis Orford or George Earthy could have been better but now Fernandes is certainly doing the job.

Aaron: Yes definitely. Sell Paqueta and get a proper centre back or defensive midfielder.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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West Ham have looked ponderous for most of the season but there are two very bright lights blinking in the gloom.

Mateus Fernandes' stunner from distance and Crysencio Summerville's bullet header insured they both shone again when facing Sunderland.

There is now a glimmer of hope growing at London Stadium after two wins in a row.

‌Lucas Paqueta is doubtless a very talented footballer but it actually looks better now the rest of the team are not relying on him or dealing with his foibles.

Just as well, given he looks like he's leaving.

Add to that the lift given by Pablo and Taty Castellanos and suddenly Nottingham Forest, even after their win at Brentford, and those just above, are much more concerned.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

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When West Ham made Mateus Fernandes their third-biggest signing ever in a deal worth more than £30m in August, there would have almost certainly been a feeling that his creativity could help mitigate Lucas Paqueta's impending exit.

Paqueta had two years remaining on his contract at London Stadium, had just been cleared of allegedly getting booked deliberately by an independent regulatory commission, and never looked likely to extend after a turbulent past few years both on and off the pitch.

Fernandes was known for his attacking output, technical quality and role in build-up as well as his high work-rate and pressing while at Southampton, but he has been used in a more defensive role so far in east London.

However, the need for Fernandes to deliver creatively looks to have come earlier than West Ham expected, with Flamengo closing in on a deal to re-sign Paqueta despite the Hammers indicating a reluctance to sell earlier in January.

The Brazil international had started 18 of the club's first 21 Premier League matches, but he has been absent for their latest two - impressive victories over Tottenham and Sunderland.

In his absence, Fernandes - who has made 20 starts and one substitute appearance this season - assisted Crysensio Summerville's opener at Spurs and followed it up with a long-range thunderbolt against the Black Cats.

In both of these games the 21-year-old started in a central midfield position alongside Tomas Soucek, giving him more protection to break forward and join new attacking signings Pablo and Taty Castellanos.

Interestingly, Fernandes and Paqueta compare similarly when analysing their creativity.

In the Premier League, both Paqueta and Fernandes have created 23 chances this season, both have 16 dribbles completed, 16 successful take-ons, both have crossed the ball 35 times, and both have registered five goal involvements.

Paqueta has made 387 successful passes in the opposition half to Fernandes' 383, and leads the way for passes into the final third and through balls, but the Portugal international has completed more successful long passes and completed more progressive carries.

While West Ham will surely look to reinvest in the market should Paqueta's departure be completed, with Pablo and Castellanos already through the door, more onus will be placed on Fernandes to add guile and imagination and provide invention in the final third.

He looks ready to do just that.

With the news that Paqueta looks set for a £35m move to Flamengo, how do you feel about his impending exit? Do West Ham need to go into the market to replace him? Or should they invest it elsewhere?

Get in touch with your views here

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between West Ham and Sunderland.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Joe: After seeing that performance, I think we have a great chance at another great escape. Solid and positive performance makes me think we can have a good end to this terrible season. Crysencio Summerville is a menace and our defence is acting right. Hope is back in East London.

Colin: This was the first day West Ham played like West Ham. Quick on the break and slick in passing. Is it a new dawn, or false hope? Fingers crossed it's the former.

Ian: This performance and result has been building for a few weeks. Barring some bad, and some dubious calls, we would have won away at Brighton and at home to Nottingham Forest. The work rate, movement and directness has all improved. A long way to go but some small shoots of hope now!

Peter: This is what we have been waiting for. The team took just a few minutes to settle, then gave the Irons fans 40 minutes to savour. The second half began worryingly with a return to dithering and more negative play. Sunderland had 15 minutes on top, but it never felt like they would score again until injury time when both teams hit the woodwork. It was was great to see a match where football was the winner.

Sue: What an improvement. The players seemed to know where each other were and attacked more. If they keep playing like that they will get out of trouble.

Sunderland fans

Adam: Very poor. We clearly lacked Granit Xhaka's leadership. Poor line-up and need improvements. Still an excellent season, but hopefully just a minor bump in the road.

David: The wrong selection and wrong formation. We'd almost lost the match before kick off with that combination of players starting. West Ham probably couldn't believe their luck at how disjointed and lacking in cohesion Sunderland were. An avoidable bad performance which makes it very frustrating as points were dropped unnecessarily.

Kev: Bad day at the office. But having said that, Romaine Mundle and Eliezer Mayenda offer nothing to the team. I feel sorry for Wilson Isidor as he should play with Brian Brobbey. He can drop deep, use his pace and leave Brobbey up on his own while supporting. Trai Hume had a mare. Onwards and upwards. One poor performance is nothing to worry about.

Colin: Got exactly what we deserved. Even though our best player wasn't playing this is no excuse as we can not rely on one player all the time. We take it on the chin and move on.

George: All too often Hume is a liability. Poor passing coupled with too much shirt pulling. Petulance and arguing with officials is too common among others.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Ashley Williams join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Manchester City 2-0 Wolves

• Burnley 2-2 Tottenham

• Bournemouth 3-2 Liverpool

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

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On 6 January, West Ham lost 2-1 at home to Nottingham Forest and found themselves seven points off safety and on a 10-match winless run.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side have since won both their Premier League games to reignite their survival hopes.

The home side hardly put a foot wrong in the first half, contributing to an electric atmosphere inside London Stadium.

Once again the Hammers were inspired by captain Bowen who contributed a goal and an assist in 14 first-half minutes.

In doing so the 29-year-old Englishman became the outright Premier League goal involvements leader for West Ham (102 - 62 goals and 40 assists), overtaking Michail Antonio (101).

Striker Callum Wilson, who has been linked with a January move, was given a warm reception by the home fans when he came on in the second half.

Lucas Paqueta, who is also rumoured to be on the move, was not in the Hammers' squad. James Ward-Prowse was an unused substitute as he was part of Nuno's squad for the first time.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo, spoke to BBC Match of the Day after his side's victory over Sunderland: "We played good, I'm always positive that things can improve, but clearly the connections, combinations, knowledge of each other as players are starting to happen.

"Things we are doing on the training ground are starting to be reflected on the pitch, and for me that is a joy.

"The mental side [is important]. We have to keep the momentum, we came from a good win. It was important to start the game this way with the same energy. The boys did it, we had a very good first half. We improved a lot in terms of managing the game, the tempo in the second half, knowing that Sunderland would react.

"We defended well, managed the time well, the possession, try to keep some threat in our attack. Overall, it was a good performance.

"The fans are giving back what we are asking, they support, sing, and today I think they are happy."

On the absence of Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka: "Xhaka is an important player for Sunderland, his absence favoured us. But that doesn't take away from the quality of their squad, that's why they are where they are and they play good football.

"We controlled well, Tomas [Soucek] and Mateus [Fernandes] did very hard work."

On Fernandes' goal: "Happy for him, happy for Crysencio [Summerville] two goals in two rounds, and Jarrod [Bowen] back on the scoring sheet. We need all our attacking players to score to give confidence because they are talented.

On the incident between Xhaka and fans behind the dugouts: "The referee came to me and said some incident happened, I hope it is solved. I don't know."

Did you know?

• Jarrod Bowen became the West Ham player with the outright most goal involvements in Premier League history (103 - 63 goals, 40 assists), moving clear of Michail Antonio (101 – 68 goals, 33 assists).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on West Ham's performance

What did you make of Sunderland's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies