West Ham chiefs have one eye fixed on the January transfer window as Nuno Espírito Santo reportedly pleads for new signings behind-the-scenes.

Nuno Espírito Santo set to be backed by West Ham in January

It has been a disastrous start to the season for West Ham, who are surely candidates for this year’s relegation dogfight.

The east Londoners have conceded more goals than any other side in the Premier League so far and would be at the foot of the table, if not for Wolves being that bit worse, with Vitor Pereira’s side yet to win a single game.

Nuno is also still waiting for his first victory as West Ham boss since replacing Graham Potter at the end of last month, but judging by their torrid performance at home to Brentford, he could be forced to wait a while longer.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

The Bees ran riot at the London Stadium, attempting 17 shots at goal, and the 2-0 defeat flattered a West Ham side who looked bereft of answers.

Nuno’s much-changed line-up against Keith Andrews’ men raised plenty of eyebrows as the Portuguese experiments to find his best team, but it doesn’t get any easier for West Ham, who travel to face newly-promoted Leeds United at Elland Road on Friday.

Concerns surround whether West Ham really have enough quality and depth in their squad to compete in world football’s most glamorous division, with chairman David Sullivan and the board reportedly planning a small spending spree in the winter.

According to Sky Sports this week, West Ham are targeting a new defender, midfielder and forward once the winter window opens, and Nuno has got “confirmation” that funds will be available to strengthen the team.

Other reports claim that Nuno has urged West Ham chiefs to bring in much-needed January additions, and this is backed by GiveMeSport, who’ve shared an update of their own on Sullivan’s recruitment plans.

West Ham hold internal talks over signing Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos

As per GMS, Nuno has told Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to attack the market once it reopens past the turn of the year.

The tactician personally wants a new addition to his backline, a technician for the engine room and an attacker to provide that extra injection of creativity going forward.

In terms of the midfield, West Ham have set their sights on a very intriguing option — Chelsea star Andrey Santos — and they’ve held internal talks over a potential move.

The Brazil international, who bagged 11 goals and five assists on loan at Strasbourg last season, has featured in nearly every game for Chelsea so far, with Maresca showing real faith in Santos as a key component of his midfield.

Santos can play anywhere in the centre, whether that be further forward as a CAM or in a deep-lying anchor role, so the appeal for West Ham is pretty obvious, especially considering the 21-year-old’s excellent form over the last 12 months.

Nuno apparently wants a box-to-box style midfielder who can add pace in the middle of the park, something which West Ham sorely lack right now, even if highly-rated youngster Freddie Potts is ready and raring for selection.

That being said, Maresca appears to be a massive fan of Santos, so it remains to be seen whether the Italian would sanction a mid-season departure for a player he’s used very often so far.

“First of all, I am very happy with Andrey and the idea that Andrey stays here with us,” Maresca said in the summer.

“He can play in Enzo Fernandez or Moises Caicedo’s positions for sure. He played one game in the Club World Cup against Palmeiras where he was very good as a number six. So he can play in both positions very well.”

Interestingly, Santos isn’t the only Brazilian who West Ham are considering.

According to other reports, West Ham have already spoken to Real Madrid about signing Endrick, and that deal looks far more likely with Los Blancos prepared to green-light a loan move away for the striker amid his limited minutes at the Bernabeu.