After a very disappointing start to their Premier League campaign, where they currently sit at the bottom of the Premier League after losses to Sunderland and Chelsea, West Ham are in desperate need of new investments in the squad.
Prior to the start of the summer, Graham Potter introduced five new signings to his squad, not including the loan of Jean-Clair Todibo, who was made permanent from Ligue 1 side Nice.
Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen was signed from Leicester City for £17 million, and left wing-back Malick Diouf was signed from Slavia Prague for £19 million.
Moreover, the club introduced three free transfers in Kyle Walker-Peters from Southampton, Callum Wilson, formerly of Newcastle United, and Daniel Cummings from Celtic.
That being said, it looks like the London club will beat fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest in terms of their net summer signings just before the summer transfer window ends, with Soungoutou Magassa now set to join West Ham from AS Monaco.
Who Is Soungoutou Magassa?
Magassa, who is 21 years old, is a defensive midfielder who has also appeared as a centre-back and central midfielder for the Ligue 1 side.
Since being promoted from Monaco’s academy in January 2022, Magassa has made 51 appearances for Les Monégasques. This included playing in 31 matches last season, in which 21 came in the league.
He also made seven appearances in the Champions League last season, where he scored in a 3-2 defeat against Benfica at home.
Moreover, the defensive midfielder has been an established player in France’s youth squads, making five appearances for the French Under-21 and Under-23 national teams, where he was a starter for two of their five UEFA Euro U21 matches.
With West Ham days away from completing the deal, AS Monaco is expected to gain €17m (£14.7m) for the player, with an extra €3m in add-ons.
The club looks to complete the deal soon, but is working on personal terms after the fee was agreed upon with the club, with Potter and his technical director speaking directly to the player about how he would play in West Ham’s current system.
As previously discussed, in completing the deal, the Hammers will beat Nuno’s Nottingham Forest to the player, who they face this weekend away at the City Ground, with the hosts, who currently sit on four points, looking at alternative midfielders.
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West Ham and Their Current Transfer Activity
One major criticism from many West Ham fans in terms of their squad this season comes from the midfield, with many highlighting the lack of squad depth and the ageing squad. The signing of a young defensive midfielder in Magassa would look to help fix those issues.
Those, due to the Hammers sitting at the rock bottom of the Premier League, and Potter under extreme pressure in regards to keeping his job, this may have forced the club to invest in even more players before the summer transfer window closes.
Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes has been heavily linked to a move to the London Stadium this summer. That being said, over the past few days, it has seemed that a gap in evaluations between both clubs, with the Premier League side looking at other alternatives despite how advanced the deal looks to be.
Aleix Garcia is also admired by West Ham, with the Hammers admiring the midfielder last summer when the Spanish player was with Girona, when the club finished inside the Champions League places. Despite moving to Leverkusen, interest has increased after Edson Alvarez departed for Turkish side Fenerbahçe.
Romano Schmid of German Bundesliga club Werder Bremen has also been linked to a move for a fee around £15 million.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Sportsphoto
Recording Date: 08.08.2025