West Ham United face a desperate battle to avoid relegation after recent results have left them seven points adrift of Premier League safety.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side suffered back-to-back defeats against fellow strugglers recently, losing 3-0 at Wolves before going down 2-1 at home to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
The Hammers now sit 18th in the table with just 14 points from 21 matches, their worst run in a top flight campaign since 1973-74.
They have failed to win in 10 consecutive games, heaping enormous pressure on manager Nuno, who already faces questions about his future following short tenures from predecessors Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter.
Tuesday’s loss proved particularly painful as Crysencio Summerville appeared to score a second goal that would have put West Ham 2-0 ahead, only for VAR to intervene and disallow it for offside.
Forest then turned the game around to claim a crucial victory in the relegation scrap.
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West Ham have responded to their woes in the transfer market, spending over £45 million on two strikers within the opening week of January.
Pablo Felipe arrived from Portuguese side Gil Vicente for £20m, followed swiftly by Taty Castellanos from Lazio in a £25.2m deal. Both forwards made their debuts against Forest and are expected to feature against QPR in Saturday’s FA Cup third round.
The club continue to pursue additional reinforcements, and are targeting 19-year-old midfielder Alpha Toure from Metz, whilst also exploring moves for defenders, including Flamengo’s Leo Pereira and OH Leuven’s Roggerio Nyakossi, though both deals face complications.
Nuno has also expressed interest in reuniting with former Wolves winger Adama Traore, currently at Fulham.
The Portuguese remains backed by the club hierarchy, with transfer plans built around his identified targets as they attempt to escape the drop zone.
However, outgoings may be necessary to fund further business.
Lucas Paqueta has been mentioned as a potential sale amid reported interest from Tottenham, while the club reportedly remain open to moving on fringe players to free up wages and generate funds for a wider squad rebuild.
While the Hammers have a glaring need to reinforce their backline, Sky Italia reporter Gianluca Di Marzio now claims they’re eyeing up a move for Benfica winger Andreas Schjelderup.
West Ham 'enter the negotiations' for Andreas Schjelderup
According to Di Marzio, via his website, West Ham have joined the race to sign the 21-year-old who is pushing for a move away from Portugal to secure regular playing time, with multiple clubs monitoring his situation closely.
Nuno’s side have also apparently ‘entered the negotiations’ for the young attacker, meaning transfer talks have been opened.
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Schjelderup is also attracting interest from Parma and Roma. The latter Serie A side view the Norwegian as an alternative option if they fail to secure their primary offensive targets this winter, while Parma have been tracking the winger for several weeks but now face a serious challenge from bigger clubs.
The 2004-born forward has made 11 league appearances for Benfica this season, scoring once and registering two assists. He has also featured three times in the Champions League.
West Ham have already spent heavily on attackers this month, but Nuno appears to remain determined to add width and pace, with Schjelderup representing a younger, high-potential option compared to their recent signings.
The former Nordsjaelland sensation has also been tipped for a big future by his ex-manager in Scandinavia, with the eight-cap ace branded a ‘very special’ young player to watch out for.
Benfica have reportedly set his price tag this month at around £22 million.
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