West Ham United suffer blow to hopes of signing English champion defender

West Ham United are headed for the Championship, if they cannot find a way to correct their course during the second half of the season.

The Hammers are without a win in their last 10 league games and seven points adrift of safety following defeat by relegation rivals Nottingham Forest.

It teemed down at the London Stadium on Tuesday evening as Morgan Gibbs-White stroked home an 89th-minute penalty to decide the game in the visitors' favour, despite the fact West Ham had taken an early first-half lead.

West Ham transfer target may be put off by relegation threat

Nuno Espirito Santo cut a dejected figure at full-time, consoled by his former players on the opposing side, while a bereft Konstantinos Mavropanos was captured by the Sky Sports cameras sat on the match ball in the pouring rain.

The central defender has played regularly this season and is approaching 100 appearances for the Hammers in all competitions since arriving in the summer of 2023.

That said, the club are reportedly keen to add defensive reinforcements with former Leeds United academy graduate Charlie Cresswell supposedly in their crosshairs, according to Sky Germany.

Cresswell made his Premier League debut for Leeds against the Hammers, tasked with handling Michail Antonio at Elland Road whilst still a youngster.

Since then, he has moved permanently to French club Toulouse, impressing in Ligue 1 as well as for England's Under-21s, with whom he has won back-to-back European Championship titles.

FourFourTwo understands the defender's services were shopped around to a host of clubs during the summer transfer window, but ultimately he remained at Toulouse.

Amid reported interest from West Ham, the possibility that Cresswell returns to England has re-entered the conversation.

However, the Hammers' current position in the Premier League table is likely to hinder them in their pursuit of the England youth international.

Cresswell is not thought to be keen on playing Championship football, which is where West Ham may find themselves in six months, having proved his faculties in France's top flight over the past season-and-a-half.

The player is keen to take the next step in his career, if he is to return to England, rather than dropping back into the Championship where he made his final appearances for Leeds.

West Ham have added attackers Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos already in the January transfer window, both of whom made their debuts in the defeat by Forest.

It is hoped the pair can help fire Nuno's side to safety after Niclas Fullkrug's exit and Callum Wilson's expected departure.