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French media outlet L’Equipe reported back in July that West Ham United had made an enquiry for Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham, but if they have seen some of his performances this season they will be mightily relieved that they didn’t sign him.

What’s the word, then?

Well, it was no secret that Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini was keen to strengthen his options in the middle of the park before the new campaign, and he had failed to find the defensively-minded player he wanted in that area as the end of the summer transfer window loomed.

L’Equipe reported that the Chilean boss asked the Scottish Premiership holders about a potential deal for the 22-year-old, who had established himself as one of the Bhoys’ best players since signing for them from Manchester City in 2017.

No move materialised with the east London outfit instead signing Carlos Sanchez to try and fill that void of protecting the backline, and given Ntcham’s recent form that may well be a blessing in disguise.

What’s happened to Ntcham then?

It has been a difficult start to the campaign in general for Celtic as they were knocked out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage, lost Moussa Dembele on deadline day and currently lie in fifth position in the Scottish top-flight standings.

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While the Frenchman did impress and score the winner in the 1-0 Old Firm derby victory against Rangers, he has been poor otherwise with his performances seeming to get worse since Dembele departed Parkhead – something which hasn’t gone unnoticed by his own supporters on Twitter.

It is certainly worrying if he has downed tools having lost his compatriot and failed to secure a summer exit, and West Ham don’t want those types of players in their squad as they look to push on and reach the next level under Pellegrini.