West Ham manager David Moyes has admitted that his club were close to signing midfielder Ibrahim Amadou on loan from Lille on the transfer deadline day, but were unable to complete the deal.
“We pushed hard to bring in midfielder Ibrahim Amadou on loan from Lille late in the day but we could not get it over the line before time ran out,” Moyes wrote in his column for the Evening Standard.
Amadou is a defensive midfielder who is renowned for his physical presence and tackling and who can also operate as a cent.
Though the Hammers failed in their pursuit of Amadou, they do have enough options in midfield to at least avoid the drop this season.
The East London club are currently four points above the relegation zone and they will be aware of the fact that should they suffer a few defeats at this point, their Premier League status for next season could be under serious threat.