With the transfer window winding down, West Ham are moving to address the defensive frailties that have plagued the opening weeks of the Championship season by lining up two experienced loan additions: Morato from Nottingham Forest, with a deal in advanced talks, and Anass Salah-Eddine from Roma, for whom West Ham have now submitted a formal loan offer. Both are expected to walk straight into Nuno Espírito Santo's starting eleven if the deals go through before Tuesday's deadline.
The more advanced of the two deals is Morato, with Sky Sports News confirming West Ham are in advanced talks with Nottingham Forest over a loan move for the Brazilian centre-back, with his proposed switch to Roma having stalled in recent days. The two clubs are working through the structure: a straight loan against a loan with an obligation to buy. Some reports have Morato already in London for a medical.
What makes this move stand out is the history behind it. Morato joined Forest from Benfica for £12.6 million in the summer of 2024, during Nuno's time in charge at the City Ground, and made 29 appearances under him in his first season there before Forest's rise up the table squeezed his opportunities. Nuno knows exactly what he's getting: he's previously praised Morato's individual performances as "very good," specifically highlighting his focus, determination and work ethic on the training ground. That existing relationship should count for a great deal in a defence that's needed exactly this kind of settling influence. He is a player who already understands Nuno's demands rather than one who needs weeks to adjust to them.
At 6'4", Morato gives Nuno a genuine aerial presence at centre-back that's been missing, a real upgrade in that department over Max Kilman, and someone capable of dealing with the physicality Championship centre-forwards bring in a way West Ham haven't consistently managed so far this season. He's also comfortable enough on the ball, left-footed, to offer balance alongside Konstantinos Mavropanos, and his versatility to play left-back as well as centre-back gives Nuno a genuine tactical option beyond a straight swap. This is the target Nuno has wanted since losing out on Axel Disasi.
Salah-Eddine’s chance to prove himself
The Athletic's Roshane Thomas reports West Ham have submitted an offer to sign Roma left-back Anass Salah-Eddine on a season-long loan. The offer has yet to be accepted. Salah-Eddine has struggled to make an impression since his move to Serie A: Roma signed the Morocco international from Twente for a fee just over £8.5 million in February 2025, but he managed only three Serie A appearances and 153 minutes across his time in the Italian capital before being sent out on loan to PSV last season, where he won the Eredivisie title but still didn't establish himself as a guaranteed starter. He's back at Roma this summer, with his path into Gian Piero Gasperini's plans looking no clearer than before he left.
His underwhelming loan spell is precisely why a move to West Ham represents a genuine opportunity rather than just another temporary parking spot. At 24, with Eredivisie and Serie A experience already banked and a left-back spot at West Ham that's been unsettled for much of the window, regular Championship football gives Salah-Eddine the platform to finally show the qualities that persuaded Roma to sign him from Twente in the first place. For a player whose career has so far been defined by short spells and limited opportunities, walking straight into a starting role is exactly the kind of clean slate he's been missing.
Taken together, the two deals speak to a clear defensive priority in the closing hours of the window: adding proven senior experience at both centre-back and left-back, positions that have been visibly short of depth and quality through West Ham's winless start to the season. Neither arrives as a marquee, guaranteed-success signing. Morato carries real question marks from his time at Forest, and Salah-Eddine has yet to nail down a starting role, but both offer Nuno more experienced options than what's currently available, and in Morato's case, a defender the manager has already worked with and trusts.
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