{"id":22210,"date":"2026-02-01T00:29:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T00:29:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/02\/01\/west-ham-target-this-24-year-old-midfielder-to-replace-paqueta-right-move-for-nuno\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T00:29:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T00:29:57","slug":"west-ham-target-this-24-year-old-midfielder-to-replace-paqueta-right-move-for-nuno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2026\/02\/01\/west-ham-target-this-24-year-old-midfielder-to-replace-paqueta-right-move-for-nuno\/","title":{"rendered":"West Ham Target This 24-Year-Old Midfielder To Replace Paquet\u00e1: Right Move For Nuno?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

West Ham United have officially lost their key creative player, Lucas Paquet\u00e1, to Flamengo in a \u20ac42 million deal. This leaves manager Nuno Esp\u00edrito Santo with a massive problem in his midfield. The Brazilian\u2019s departure, driven by a desire to return home, puts a lot of pressure on the East London club. They are currently fighting to stay in the Premier League.<\/p>\n

West Ham United Target Atalanta\u2019s Nicola Zalewski to Replace Flamengo-Bound Paquet\u00e1<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In response, the Irons are looking at Serie A. According to Italian transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio<\/a>, West Ham<\/a> want Atalanta\u2019s Polish international Nicola Zalewski to take over Paquet\u00e1\u2019s spot at the London Stadium. Di Marzio reports that the Hammers have asked about the 24-year-old midfielder.<\/p>\n

Zalewski only joined Atalanta from Roma in the summer of 2025 for roughly \u20ac17 million. The Polish international has since become a regular starter in Raffaele Palladino\u2019s side as they push for the Champions League. So, the Italian club are in a strong position to negotiate.<\/p>\n

They will definitely want a big profit before they let a player leave midway through the season, especially since his contract runs until 2029. While there isn\u2019t a formal bid yet, West Ham\u2019s interest is real. The board knows they must move fast before the January window shuts in 48 hours. This will give Nuno the players he needs to keep the team up.<\/p>\n

A Gamble for Survival<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"West
BERGAMO, ITALY \u2013 JANUARY 25: Alessandro Circati of Parma Calcio 1913 and Nicola Zalewski of Atalanta battle for possession during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Parma Calcio 1913 at New Balance Stadium on January 25, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

West Ham\u2019s push for Zalewski shows they are desperate to improve. The Hammers are currently 18th in the table and stay five points away from the safe zone. This is despite recent wins over Tottenham and Sunderland. Replacing a player as good as Paquet\u00e1 is almost impossible in January, but Zalewski has some interesting skills.<\/p>\n

He is a great dribbler and can play in several positions. He can fit in as an attacking midfielder or out on the wing. The 24-year-old also has plenty of experience playing in Europe. His stats this season include one goal and three assists in 18 Serie A games. These numbers show Zalewski is a consistent player rather than a massive goalscorer. However, his work rate fits Nuno\u2019s style of play perfectly.<\/p>\n

Still, there are big problems with this deal. Why would Zalewski leave Champions League football with Atalanta for a relegation battle in England? The player might think the Premier League is a great place to be, but the timing is risky. Also, West Ham recently signed Adama Traor\u00e9 to help their attack. Adding Zalewski would cost a lot of money. The board might not want to spend that much even after selling Paquet\u00e1.<\/p>\n

In reality, the clubs may find this transfer hard to pull off. Atalanta don\u2019t have to sell. Plus, West Ham\u2019s low league position make it hard to convince top players to join. Unless the Hammers come in with a huge offer right now, Nuno might have to stick with his current squad to try and stay in the Premier League.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

West Ham United have officially lost their key creative player, Lucas Paquet\u00e1, to Flamengo in a \u20ac42 million deal. This leaves manager Nuno Esp\u00edrito Santo with a massive problem in his midfield. The Brazilian\u2019s departure, driven by a desire to return home, puts a lot of pressure on the East London club. They are currently […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13963,"featured_media":22211,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13963"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22210\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}