Graham Potter is not short of midfielders, but he is short of ones that he wants to keep, so it seems after one Southampton failure at The London Stadium in James Ward Prowse he is looking to replace him with another.
According to westhamzone.com The Hammers have made an enquiry about signing Matteus Fernandes, however they have been knocked back by Saints on this and are said to be turning their attention to a plethora of other targets including Harvey Elliott and Romano Schmid.
So it seems that after Southampton have played hardball and not roll over, Potter will look elsewhere.
But there is still a long time to go in the transfer window and the Hammer could again be hammering at the door, barely missed a minute let alone a game in his final 4 years at St Mary's, but since leaving St Mary's his career has nosedived, although his first season at West Ham was steady, it was not to the levels that it had been with Saints and he also lost his place in the England squad.
Last season he was sent out on loan to Nottingham Forest and by January he was either an unused substitute or just a handful of fleeting sub apppearances.
His return to West Ham saw him get game time, but it was clear that he was not part of the bigger picture going forward and Graham Potter wants to bring in new blood in the midfield.
So with Ward Prowse turning 31 in November what price a return to St Mary's as make weight in a deal to take Fernandes to East London, I would not rule it out.