West Ham discover James McAtee transfer truth amid Nottingham Forest talks | OneFootball

James McAtee has outlined his hopes to stick with Nottingham Forest after a difficult first season

West Ham are on the hunt for a creative midfielder to replace Mateus Fernandes this summer, but may face a stumbling block in the pursuit of one of their targets.

The Hammers kick off their first Championship campaign since the 2011/12 term in a little over a month, and Nuno Espirito Santo is hoping to have an elite squad ready to kickstart their promotion push come the curtain-raiser at Burnley.

Following their £85 million sale of Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham need a new starting midfielder, and Nuno set his sights on Nottingham Forest's James McAtee, with reports stating that talks had been opened last week.

McAtee endured a difficult debut campaign at the City Ground last season. Hammers boss Nuno brought him to the club, but the 23-year-old has played under three different head coaches since.

The former Manchester City academy product started just two league games last season and was left on the bench 21 times, leading some to believe that he wanted a fresh challenge and an important role in a first team next year.

James McAtee transfer truth revealed — 23-year-old willing to fight for his place

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Football Insider has revealed that isn't the case, though, as Pete O'Rourke stated that McAtee has no immediate plans to leave Nottingham Forest, and that he's willing to fight for his place at the City Ground next season.

After a tumultuous campaign in the dugout, Forest will hope that they have a manager set for the long term in Oliver Glasner, and the 23-year-old is ready to prove himself under the new boss.

The report outlines that the Austrian was interested in McAtee while he was the Crystal Palace manager, and now has an opportunity to work with him at his new club.

The 23-year-old is, understandably, behind star man Morgan Gibbs-White in the pecking order, though, and after an 18-goal campaign in all competitions, it'll be hard to dislodge him from the starting lineup.

But there's always the possibility that interest comes in for the 26-year-old after a career year, and McAtee is willing to show that, if Gibbs-White does get offloaded, he'll be ready to step up.

James McAtee transfer stance acts as setback for West Ham

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Just a year ago, McAtee cost Nottingham Forest £30 million from Manchester City. Evidently, there's still a Premier League-quality player in there, despite a disappointing debut campaign at the City Ground.

His sole Championship campaign with Sheffield United back in 2022/23 saw him score nine times in 37 games to help Paul Heckingbottom's side secure promotion. That was back when he was a 20-year-old, so he'd definitely be a strong signing for a second-tier side four seasons later.

Therefore, if West Ham were able to secure his services, not only would it put them in good standing to get back into the top-flight this season, but it would give them an attacking midfielder who'd be capable of making that immediate step up the year after.

Nuno was able to convince him to come to Forest in the first place, so he clearly knows what the 23-year-old can bring to the table. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that McAtee is open to dropping a level in favour of more guaranteed playing time.