It's kitchen sink time in the January transfer window and it's no secret that West Ham United are looking to bolster their squad this week.
David Moyes welcomed Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips on loan last week to add some mettle to the centre of the park and now the focus has shifted to the offensive ranks, with Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta all sidelined, the latter until March.
Offers have been knocked back for young Ghanaian whiz Ibrahim Osman and Sunderland's Jack Clarke, but now the Hammers appear to be closing in on a new winger before Thursday's deadline.
The latest on West Ham's chase to sign Jota
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported at the beginning of the week that West Ham had been pushing to sign Al-Ittihad's Portuguese winger Jota on loan following discussions on Monday.
Said Benrahma is closing on a move to Lyon and this will be crucial to a move, and though Jota is the top target, a solution to his staggering £200k-per-week salary in Saudi Arabia is proving complicated.
Indeed, new reports on Tuesday afternoon indicate that a deal is now looking more unlikely. Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has the latest.
How Jota compares to Lucas Paqueta
West Ham won the Europa Conference League last season and have been in fine fettle this term, currently sixth in the Premier League and through to the knockout phase of the Europa League, but two league draws and an untimely FA Cup exit against Bristol City have made for an inauspicious start to 2024.
With Paqueta not slated for a return any time soon either, it's understandable that some additional firepower is needed at the London Stadium, and Jota has the qualities to make a marked impact in the Premier League, once praised for his “unlimited” talent by former coach Joao Tralhao.
Signing for Al-Ittihad from Celtic in a £25m move last summer, the "exciting" Jota – as he was labelled by former Spurs man Alan Hutton – has been limited to just 11 appearances in all competitions due to Saudi Pro League restrictions precluding more than eight foreign players from being named in a squad; he has not started a league fixture.
Nonetheless, the 24-year-old was described as a "revelation" north of the border by ex-Scotland boss Alex McLeish and racked up 27 goal contributions from 43 matches under then-Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou last season, now leading Tottenham Hotspur from the dugout.
Speaking of Spurs, the Irons' London rivals have been linked with a move for Jota ever since Postecoglou's appointment but now appear set to miss out on his signature in a deal that could hand Rush Green its next version of Paqueta.
Indeed, in June 2022, French outlet L'Equipe – via the Evening Standard – reported that Tottenham were frontrunners for Paqueta's services, with the Brazilian playmaker looking for a move away from Lyon.
Well, two months later West Ham prevailed and completed the signing of the Brazilian star in a club-record £51m deal, and with the 26-year-old having now posted ten goals and 13 assists across 68 appearances – winning the Conference League and actually playing the defence-splitting pass for Bowen's last-gasp winner – he's been a huge success.
Paqueta has been lauded for his “mind-boggling” technical ability by erstwhile teammate Declan Rice and is undoubtedly one of the silkiest, most artful attacking midfielders in the Premier League, and Jota could be the second blow to hurt Tottenham and boost Moyes' own mission this week.
