The £30m Nottingham Forest star who can transform West Ham or Wolves next season | OneFootball

West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers should consider loan swoops for Nottingham Forest’s James McAtee

West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers will be spending next season in the Championship, as both will be looking to ensure their stays outside of the top flight are as short-lived as possible with a strong summer transfer window.

Indeed, West Ham and Wolves will be joined by Burnley in the second tier next season as the three teams to suffer relegation from the Premier League.

Wolves’ relegation had long been suspected, and in truth, their fate was almost already sealed by November, whilst West Ham’s destiny came down to the final day, as despite a 3-0 victory over Leeds United, Tottenham Hotspur’s victory over Everton sealed the Hammers’ relegation.

After 14 years in the Premier League, West Ham will host second-tier football once again, this time at the 62,500-capacity London Stadium instead of the old Upton Park.

Wolves, meanwhile, last played in the Championship in 2018, securing the league title under Nuno Espírito Santo, who incidentally now manages West Ham.

The Portuguese head coach looks set to face the trials and tribulations of the Championship once again, where he will be hoping for similar success to last time around, as he should look to utilise his previous connections with Nottingham Forest to strike a loan deal for a £30 million star, as Wolves should also consider a swoop.

West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers should plot loan moves for Nottingham Forest’s James McAtee this summer

Both West Ham and Wolves are set to undergo huge squad rebuilds this summer, as both will need to raise funds following the loss of Premier League revenue.

The likes of Jarrod Bowen, Mateus Fernandes, and Crysencio Summerville are just a few Hammers that have been linked with switches elsewhere, whilst Ladislav Krejci, Joao Gomes, and Santiago Bueno have each been rumoured to be on their way out of Molineux.

Wolves have started their summer window with the acquisition of Kieran Trippier on a free transfer from Newcastle United, and they, along with West Ham, should consider making Nottingham Forest’s James McAtee a priority target.

McAtee, 23, has struggled for game time at Nottingham Forest this season after his £30 million move from Manchester City in the summer, playing less than 300 minutes of league football across the campaign in 14 appearances, predominantly being used in the Europa League under each of Nuno, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche, and Vitor Pereira.

The England youth international came through the ranks at Manchester City and spent two consecutive seasons on loan with Sheffield United between 2022 and 2024 in the Championship and then the Premier League, and struggled to feature under Pep Guardiola upon his return to the North West.

Now, with Forest, the midfielders' game time hasn’t improved since Pereira arrived at the helm, as with Morgan Gibbs-White, Omari Hutchinson, Dilane Bakwa, Dan Ndoye, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Nicolas Dominguez as competition, he has struggled to get on the field at the City Ground.

Having been signed by Nuno at Forest, the two will already have a working relationship, and the Portuguese head coach should utilise his connections with Forest to complete a loan swoop for McAtee this summer at West Ham.

His game time at the City Ground is unlikely to improve next season, and he could be allowed to leave the club this summer on loan to find more minutes, and West Ham would be a good option.

Wolves should also join the race, with Rob Edwards' side set to see a big influx of money this summer from sales.

Whilst the Old Gold will be hoping to retain the services of Mateus Mane this summer, with the teenager likely continuing to be a key member of the side, attacking reinforcements will be a necessity, and McAtee would be an excellent option.

Having shone last time out in the second tier with Sheffield United, there is no reason why he can’t do similar next year with either West Ham or Wolves, who should both be plotting moves.

Nuno Espírito Santo and Rob Edwards must battle it out for James McAtee’s services this summer

At 23, McAtee’s career has stagnated this season with Forest, and he simply cannot afford to waste another year on the bench.

Taking one step back to the Championship with either West Ham or Wolves could allow him to take two steps forward if the loan spell is a success, putting his name in the shop window or thrusting him into the plans at Forest once again.

McAtee has an undeniable ability, with the real potential of being a game-changing player at Championship level.

Nuno and Edwards will have every intention of fighting towards the summit of the second-tier table next season, and McAtee would certainly help those chances tenfold.