By Louis Nixon

In search of a new defender, it appears the Hammers have chosen one of many targets to test the waters, as a move for Isak Hien has been made in the last week of the transfer window. 

It’ll certainly come as no surprise that, within the last seven remaining days in the transfer window, West Ham will likely throw the kitchen sink in attempts to bring in more bodies and ‘rebalance’ the squad, as Nuno keeps on saying. 

One incoming that the Hammers could see would be Adama Traore, but his move has slightly stalled due to discussions regarding gametime. The other position that we are likely to also target would be a defender, in which Isak Hien is the latest name to bring up. 

Isak is a Swedish central defender who currently plays for Atalanta and has done since 2024, when he joined them for €9m. Now in 2026, his market value has soared and he is now valued at around €25m, but there’s a possibility a deal could be concluded for a lower price. The Hammers would be targeting a loan with an obligation to buy, which would be triggered if the Hammers weren’t relegated… I suspect that this type of deal will be thrown around heavily throughout the last week of the transfer window. 

The defender has made a name for himself in Serie A for a variety of good reasons, he has been recognised as a defender who has a brilliant one-on-one ability and is praised for his anticipation when it comes to defensive judgement. Aditionally, he also has a staggering pass completion rate with 91.1% across his time in Serie A so far, of which a significant amount of them are passes into the final third, certainly a statistic that Nuno would aspire to have. 

Finally, and something crucial for Premier League football, he is a rapid defender. He has clocked a top speed of 33.7 km/h, making him one of the fastest central defenders in the league. All in all, he appears to be the complete package, but I suspect that a deal will be very difficult to conclude.

This morning, Atalanta have accepted a move for Maldini to join Lazio alone, a central defender, and personally, I believe that seeing as that move has already been sanctioned, it might be unlikely to see the Italian side let another one of their defenders leave, but there’s always a possibility for it to happen as it could be a nice chance for the Italian side to double their original investment.