West Ham United are likely to place their pursuit of Porto defender Zaidu Sanusi on the backburner until next summer with London Stadium director Tim Steidten a fan of the Nigeria international. 
David Moyes, according to TEAMtalk, is ‘actively pushing’ for West Ham United to bring in a new left-back in the New Year. But when we say ‘New Year’, we probably mean June rather than January.
Portuguese publication O Jogo, in response to TEAMtalk’s initial claims, did some digging of their own. And West Ham, they say, will only step up their interest in Zaidu Sanusi when the season comes to an end. Comments which seem to suggest that Aaron Cresswell – the man Sanusi would likely replace in the English capital – is set to remain a Hammers player for six more months.
West Ham United back in for Zaidu Sanusi
The veteran Cresswell turns 34 in December. His contract is also due to expire in the summer. And West Ham’s long-time interest in Sanusi suggests that plans are already being drawn up for the Scouser’s departure.
TEAMtalk adds that West Ham director Tim Steidten is personally a big fan of Sanusi. Steidten played a key role in the deals to bring in Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez from Ajax, jetting out to the Netherlands to hold face to face talks with both players. Don’t be surprised to see Steidten board a flight to Portugal, then, at some point in the relatively near future.
26-year-old Sanusi has endured an injury hit start to the campaign but his reputation precedes him. The one-time Santa Clara starlet has been quietly excellent since joining Porto in 2020. His dramatic late winner against bitter rivals Benfica secured the Primeira Liga title for the Dragons a year-and-a-half ago.
‘The quickest player I’ve ever seen’
“Zaidu Sanusi is the funny one. He’s always joking with team-mates and gets on with everyone,” Porto’s former West Ham youngster Toni Martinez tells The Sportsman, hailing Sanusi’s presence on and off the pitch.
“He is too quick. He’s probably the quickest player I’ve seen in my life!”
Sanusi has a £43 million release clause in his Porto contract. According to Record, West Ham had a bid rejected on the final day of the transfer window in 2021.
