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Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has now dropped a new update on West Ham United’s interest in an “incredible” English ace, who’s keen on a move to the London Stadium.

West Ham in real danger of relegation after Wolves defeat

Wolverhampton Wanderers picked up their first Premier League victory of the season at West Ham’s expense on Saturday afternoon, securing a 3-0 victory at Molineux, which leaves Nuno’s side in real trouble.

Following the latest setback, the Hammers are four points adrift of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, having collected just 14 points all season, which suggests they are in urgent need of reinforcements during the current transfer window.

Max Kilman was particularly disappointing in the defeat against Rob Edwards’ side, receiving a SofaScore match rating of just 5.9, the lowest of any player, while Jamie Carragher criticised the defender for not doing enough to prevent Igor Thiago scoring for Brentford earlier this season.

The Sky Sports pundit said: “He’s the leader at the back for West Ham. I used to really like him at Wolves but he probably didn’t have that responsibility at Wolves.

“When you are the leading main centre-half, you’ve got to dominate that situation.”

With Kilman struggling, bringing in a new centre-back may be of key significance before the January transfer window closes, and Plettenberg has now dropped a new update on West Ham’s interest in Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell.

Taking to X, the Sky Sports reporter confirmed Cresswell is being closely monitored by the Irons, but they are yet to open formal negotiations.

ExWHUemployee has previously confirmed the centre-back is keen on a move to the London Stadium, with reports from elsewhere revealing it may take at least £18m to get a deal done.

"Incredible" Cresswell impressing in Ligue 1

Lauded as “incredible” by scout Jacek Kulig, the English defender has been impressing over the past year, placing in a high percentile for some key defensive statistics, when compared to other centre-backs.

Charlie Cresswell’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Blocks

1.50 (82nd percentile)

Clearances

7.03 (88th percentile)

Aerials won

3.71 (96th percentile)

Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley has also called out Konstantinos Mavropanos, Jean-Clair Todibo and Kilman for their subpar performances this season, saying they’ve been “well short” of their best.

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The Hammers have shipped 41 goals in the Premier League this season, the highest number of any side, which means it will be vital Nuno strengthens his backline before the end of the month.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini

Cresswell’s performances for Toulouse suggest he could have what it takes to help propel West Ham to safety, but they will have to hope their recent form doesn’t dissuade the centre-back from making a move to the London Stadium.

Fulham have now made an approach to sign a “fantastic” midfielder, who has been impressing in the Europa League this season.

Cottagers keen to strengthen in the engine room

The Cottagers are looking to bring in a striker, central midfielder and right-winger this month, with Marco Silva recently insisting the uptick in form hasn’t changed his plans, saying: “It’s not because we won games and we are looking for a different position right now that we are changing ourselves,

“We look with full ambition for the season like we did before, and even if the results were not so good, we will not change completely the scenario because it’s clear what we need.”

Silva’s side have been on a strong run in the Premier League, collecting 11 points from their last five matches, recently extending the unbeaten run to five games courtesy of Harrison Reed’s last gasp equaliser against Liverpool.

Despite Reed’s heroics, Fulham remain keen on signing a new central midfielder, and they have now made preliminary contact over a deal for Real Betis midfielder Sergi Altimara, with it being revealed the Spanish club could be willing to sanction a departure for the right price.

Indeed, according to a report from TEAMtalk, Betis have set an asking price of around £22m for Altimira, but the Cottagers are not alone in their pursuit, with Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt also very keen on securing his signature.

Betis are in a strong negotiating position, with the midfielder tied down on a contract until 2029, which suggests the west Londoners may need to fork out the full asking price to tempt his current employers into a sale.

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Posts ByDominic Lund "Fantastic" Altimira impressing in Europa League

The 24-year-old has been an important player for Betis in the Europa League this season, featuring in all six games, and he was particularly impressive in the 3-1 win against Dinamo Zagreb last month, making three tackles and winning four duels to help keep the Croatian side at bay.

Lauded as “fantastic” by Spanish reporter Mateo Gonzalez last season, the Betis ace has strong defensive attributes, while he is also comfortable in possession of the ball, as showcased by his performance across some key statistics over the past year.

Sergio Altimira’s key statistics

Average per 90 (past year)

Tackles

3.02 (94th percentile)

Interceptions

1.56 (91st percentile)

Clearances

2.17 (80th percentile)

Pass completion %

91.5% (96th percentile)

Perhaps the Spaniard’s best moment this season came in La Liga at the end of November, however, scoring in Betis’ 2-0 derby victory away at Sevilla.

Having put in some promising displays in both La Liga and the Europa League, Altimira could be an exciting signing for Fulham, and £21m feels like a reasonable fee to shell out.