Whilst the first few weeks of the January transfer window have been disappointing, the last 24 hours has seen West Ham strongly linked with no less than four players. It is reported that Marco Borriello, a 31yo Italian striker from Roma, has signed a temporary deal that will keep him at Upton Park until the end of this season. Reports suggest he will have a medical over the weekend. Borriello made his debut for Milan in 2002 and played 54 matches for them over the next 9 seasons. The reason for so few appearances with Milan was that he spent the majority of the time out on loan to no less than seven other clubs! He signed a permanent deal with Roma in 2010 and since then has been loaned out to Juventus and Genoa. Nuff said – we will almost certainly get him with that track record.
The second player we are being strongly linked with is Italian midfield player Antonio Nocerino. The 28yo midfielder has flown in to London today and is expected to accept a similar deal as Borriello. Nocerino made his debut in 2003 for Juventus and played 32 times for the club in five years. Again, like Borriello, he spent most of his time out on loan to six different clubs. He enjoyed a good spell at Palermo before becoming a Milan player in 2011. He was used as a holding midfielder in his time at Palermo but his move to Milan saw him play a more attacking role from midfield. Nocerino has not been in good form of late and Squawka stats show that when he dribbles he has a 90% chance of losing the ball, his tackle success is 48% and he loses 75% of aerial duels. On the positive side, both Borriello (pictured) and Nocerino have represented Italy at National level.
The third player we have made a move for us Leeds striker and captain, Ross McCormack. It is believed we have made a 3 million pound offer for the Scottish player but Leeds are holding out for a bigger offer. Leeds director David Haigh has confirmed West Ham made the bid and it is likely we will sign the player if we up the ante. Over the past five seasons McCormack has averaged a goal every three games for Cardiff and his current club Leeds United. He has represented Scotland on ten occasions scoring two goals.
Finally, sources claim that Cameroon midfielder Raoul Loe has flown to London to undergo a medical before a possible 2 million pound move from Spanish club Osasuna. Loe is a defensive midfielder who has one cap for the Cameroon National side. He is 24yo and stands at 6’4”. With two midfielders and two strikers on the radar it would seem that Maiga and Diarra would be two players we are hoping to offload prior to the deadline.