West Ham are weighing up a move for Brentford defender Ethan Pinnock, according to The Telegraph reporter Mike McGrath.

The usually reliable journalist has written on his X account that the 32-year-old is an option for the Hammers:

“Ethan Pinnock emerging as potential January target for West Ham for their survival bid. The 32yo has wealth of Premier League experience over last five seasons at Brentford and competition expected if made available.”

It should be pointed out that Pinnock has rarely featured this season, having started only three Premier League games and two in the Carabao Cup.

Why is Pinnock being pursued?

Head coach Nuno Espirito Santo needs to strengthen his options in the middle of defence. The Irons have conceded the most goals (43) of any team in the Premier League this campaign.

Max Kilman, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Jean-Clair Todibo have struggled to meet the standards required, so a centre-half was seen as a priority heading into the January transfer window.

However, after spending £47m on Taty Castellanos and Pablo, resources are now stretched thin, so Pinnock may be seen as a cheaper option than someone like Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell.

Who else do West Ham plan to sign?

It appears as if Nuno is also keen on finding a new goalkeeper, with a bid having been made for Al-Nassr’s Bento.

Based on information coming out of Italy, though, it appears that the Brazilian international will end up moving to Serie A side Genoa.

It remains to be seen whether that means the Hammers will seek an alternative to Bento, or they will decide to keep faith with their current options instead. The club seem to be scouring the market to improve the squad, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

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