Forest have put West Ham in a nightmare situation in every sense of the word.

West Ham have played four Premier League games under manager Julen Lopetegui so far, winning one, drawing one and losing two.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are unbeaten with two wins and two draws.

West Ham managed a 1-1 draw with Fulham, while Forest recorded a memorable 1-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield.

Nottingham Forest shocked Liverpool with their first defeat of the Arne Slott era, with Callum Hudson-Odoi scoring the winner.

Forest give West Ham a nightmare

West Ham fans have criticised their disappointing draw and overall performance.

Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez and Guido Rodriguez failed to impress in the Hammers’ midfield.

So it did not go unnoticed that their happy loan midfielder has impressed for Nottingham Forest.

The Irons spent £30 million to sign James Ward-Prowse last summer and he scored 18 goals and provided assists in his debut season, always working hard for the team.

There is no denying that the case can be made that Ward-Prowse has not contributed much in open play.

And it was truly typical that one of the best free-kick takers in the world failed to score a single goal for West Ham.

Forest leave Hammers injured to face Liverpool

Ward-Prowse has been on loan at Nottingham Forest this season.

The deal is merely a loan deal, but if Ward-Prowse performs well at the City Ground it is likely to be turned into a permanent deal.

Carlos Soler replaces Ward-Prowse, and his move to West Ham is also on loan for the season.

Nottingham Forest are currently putting West Ham in a nightmare situation in many ways.

Firstly, Forest’s shock defeat to Liverpool at Anfield ensured that West Ham will face injured opposition in the Carvao Cup on Wednesday night.

Playing Liverpool at home is always a daunting prospect for West Ham, having only won once there since 1963.

Add in the fact that it’s a night game under the floodlights and Slott is expecting a big reaction, and those not attending the game may be watching through their fingers.

Nottingham Forest provoked West Ham and made them face the consequences.

But that’s not the only headache Forest has caused the Hammers.

If Ward-Prowse continues his good form and Lopetegui fails to get good results from Soucek and Soler then that decision will be called into serious doubt.

Normally, when a player goes on loan, the parent club has full control over negotiating a permanent contract.

Why Forest has the edge over Ward-Prowse

But Soler is earning £240,000-a-week at PSG and has three years left on his contract.

As a result, a top club spokesman told Hammers News last week that it was highly unlikely that West Ham would sign Soler on a permanent deal.

At the same time, Hammers source Sean Whetstone revealed that West Ham’s heavy spending in recent years may force the club to raise funds through player sales next summer.

West Ham are the fifth-highest spending club in the Premier League from 2022 onwards.

A further £155 million has been earmarked for transfers this summer.

So, if Soler does manage to pull through, West Ham are likely to find themselves in the extremely frustrating position of not being able to sign him on a permanent basis.

But West Ham know they will need funds if Ward-Prowse continues to perform well and Nottingham Forest want to make his move permanent.

This means Forest are confident of negotiating a fee for the midfielder.

And West Ham will be in the difficult position of having lost out on Ward-Prowse and not being able to sign Sorrell.

But with Forest at their back, the more immediate concern is the heat from Liverpool, who face Anfield in three days’ time.

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