Leeds United are busy trying to get a couple of attacking players through the door before the end of the window, but relegation rivals West Ham seem to be a whole lot busier at the moment.
In the last few days, The Hammers have spent the best part of £60m on two new midfielders. Soungoutou Magassa has arrived from Monaco for a fee of around £15m, while splashing £40m on another playmaker.
West Ham have landed Leeds target Mateus Fernandes in a deal that would have been a club-record fee for Leeds, exceeding the £35.5m spent on Georginio Rutter. West Ham mean business in the final hours.
The Hammers are also keen on improving their defence and one name that has appeared on their list is a recognisable name to Leeds supporters. Indeed, a player that left Elland Road during Daniel Farke’s reign.
Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty ImagesWest Ham eye Charlie Cresswell move, worth an initial £13m
It has been just over a year since Charlie Cresswell left Leeds and made a surprise £3.7m move to Ligue 1 side Toulouse. Over the last 12 months, the England U21 international has starred for the French outfit.
Now, The Sun’s transfer expert Alan Nixon reports on his Patreon channel that West Ham are eyeing a late move for Cresswell. Ironically, Cresswell made his Premier League debut for Leeds against The Hammers.
A fee would see the Hammers pay more than three times what Leeds received just a year ago for the big defender, and it is unclear how much add-ons are at this stage. But Cresswell could return to England.
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It comes after Cresswell scored for Toulouse in a 6-3 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday evening. Impressively, that is his fifth goal in 37 appearances for Toulouse since his move across the channel.
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Why Leeds sold Charlie Cresswell to Toulouse in the first place
This one is largely Farke’s doing. Relegation from the Premier League was thought to actually help a few Leeds youngsters on the fringes. The likes of Sam Greenwood, Joe Gelhardt and Mateo Joseph.
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But that did not really transpire. Cresswell was among that list and started Farke’s first league game as manager, a 2-2 draw against Cardiff. But the defender would go on to play just seven times in 2023-24.
Cresswell’s father Richard – once a Leeds striker – complained. The defender complained. Farke called him out publicly and by the end of the season, a move was the only solution. Cresswell went over the channel.