Two players West Ham United could sign in the January transfer window
Nineteen minutes. That’s all it took for Liverpool to open up West Ham United’s defence in the opening game of the season. And by the time the referee blew his final whistle, the Reds had scored four past a helpless Lukasz Fabianski.
The same story continued against Bournemouth at home as well. There was a hint of optimism at the Emirates when Marko Arnautovic chipped in with the lead but they couldn’t finish the game off and gifted Arsenal a chance to come back from behind and win the game 3-1.
One thing we have learned from West Ham’s season so far is that despite buying a plethora of players, Manuel Pelligrini might need more bodies to fix this side. The state of West Ham last season, when they were in the relegation battle, was so dire that one transfer window clearly hasn’t been enough to fix their problems.
We look at two players Manuel Pellegrini could sign in the January transfer window to improve his squad.
Danny Drinkwater
The Mirror had suggested that Manuel Pellegrini wanted the Chelsea man as his midfield anchor earlier in the summer but the club couldn’t get the deal over the line before deadline day. Had the deal gone through, it would have been a great signing for Pellegrini.
The Hammers fans saw their team being overrun in the midfield against Liverpool and Bournemouth, meaning Drinkwater could have been an excellent player for the club.
Pellegrini utilized Mark Noble, Declan Rice, and new boy Jack Wilshere to mirror Liverpool’s system. But Wilshere isn’t a holding midfielder and that cost West Ham the match. For the first goal, Noble was isolated at the centre of the park against Naby Keita and within seconds, the ball was in West Ham’s net.
Pellegrini tried to offer more protection to his back four by playing Carlos Sanchez alongside Wilshere at the Emirates but that move went in vain as well. Hence, the potential move for Drinkwater makes complete sense as he could offer steel in the midfield.
It would suit the player as well. He is nowhere near Chelsea’s starting XI right now and a switch to West Ham would provide him with regular minutes to revive his career, both at the club and international level.
Maximiliano Gomez
The Mirror had claimed that Maxi Gomez was on Pellegrini’s wish list but the Londoners couldn’t complete the deal for the striker before the English transfer deadline expired. Gomes, 22, is an Uruguayan international who scored 17 goals in the La Liga last season with Celta Vigo.
He was a true marksman, registering a shot accuracy of 62%. In addition, he was also notorious for creating 22 big chances for his teammates. Arnautovic is the only in-form striker for the Hammers right but at times, there is too much pressure on him.
Javier Hernandez is not the same player he was at Manchester United. His age is slowing him down and his poaching instincts aren’t as sharp as before. Hence, West Ham could return to Celta Vigo with a better offer and try to wrap up the deal in January.
