West Ham can haunt Southampton by rolling the transfer dice | OneFootball

Saints may have let 21-year-old striker Dom Ballard leave Hampshire too early

West Ham United’s latest transfer link could be a masterstroke that lands a real blow on Southampton.

The Hammers were relegated on the final day of the 25/26 season, finishing 18th as Tottenham’s 1‑0 win over Everton sealed their fate.

It means Nuno’s side will be in the Championship next season, and for a club of West Ham’s size, an immediate return to the Premier League will be the clear objective.

So building a squad capable of doing that is now the priority, with several names from across the EFL emerging as potential targets ahead of what should be a busy summer window.

How West Ham can haunt Southampton by rolling the transfer dice

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Reports have linked West Ham with a move for Leyton Orient striker Dom Ballard, with the 21‑year‑old attracting serious interest after an outstanding debut season at Brisbane Road.

The Hammers are keeping a close eye on the forward as they look to bolster their attack, according to the Daily Mail, with Bundesliga side Werder Bremen also monitoring the situation via Sky Sports alongside other Championship clubs Bristol City and Swansea City.

Swansea, for their part, should see Ballard as a potential replacement for Zan Vipotnik, himself a West Ham target.

Back to Ballard - he signed for the O’s on a permanent basis from Southampton in September 2025, penning a three-year contract at the club with the option of a fourth year.

The fee was undisclosed, though the Hampshire-based outfit are understood to have inserted a sell-on clause into the deal, meaning they stand to benefit financially from any future sale.

Given it was only nine months ago, few Saints fans would have expected him to come good this quickly.

As before this move, Ballard had already featured in the third tier for three different clubs - Reading in 23/24, then Blackpool and Cambridge United in 24/25 - and managed just six league goals across those spells.

For Southampton, despite joining the club’s academy at the age of eight, he was handed only four first‑team appearances.

Ballard scored 23 League One goals in 40 appearances during the 25/26 campaign, the most of any player in the division, while also adding four assists. It's fair to say he was playing with a point to prove.

At the EFL Awards in April, the striker not only earned a place in the League One Team of the Season but also won both Player of the Season and Young Player of the Season.

Dom Ballard's 'value is going up and up' since leaving Southampton

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Back in March, Orient manager Richie Wellens spoke about how difficult it could be to keep hold of Ballard this summer.

He told the Guardian-Series, "Where will we be without Dom Ballard. He came from Cambridge Utd. His value is going up and up. He is generating more interest which is not a surprise."

Should the Hammers pull off a deal for Ballard, they wouldn’t just be strengthening their own attack, they’d also be haunting a promotion rival.

Watching him potentially flourish in East London by scoring goals that could help West Ham’s promotion push would be a bitter pill to swallow on the south coast.

Yes, he surely wouldn't be expected to be West Ham's main striker, but his age suggests he could become that in the future with the right development.

Whether West Ham ultimately move for Ballard or not, the scale of the rebuild they face is undeniable. As already mentioned, they have been linked with a raft of players from the EFL and beyond as Nuno looks to assemble a title-winning squad.