West Ham United have had a poor 2019-20 season and will have a single point agenda of escaping relegation when the season resumes in 10 days. Manager Manuel Pellegrini was sacked just after Christmas and former Manchester United and Everton manager David Moyes was installed as manager of the club.
The Hammers are level on points with 18th-placed Bournemouth and just two above 19th-placed Aston Villa. If the London club do survive and stay in the Premier League, they will need to make a number of changes again.
Striker Sebastien Haller was brought in to the club to help the Hammers push to compete for a top 8 finish. But the former Eintracht Frankfurt forward, who was signed for a club-record fee, has had a poor season, scoring just 7 goals in 27 Premier League appearances.
The Hammers have not had a backup striker to fall back on following the exit of Javier Hernández, Lucas Pérez and Marko Arnautović ahead of the 2019-20 season. The club simply have to find an experienced striker who will provide competition to Haller and strengthen the attacking options for the Hammers.
Right-back has been another problem area for the Hammers as they have not had a strong option in that position. Pablo Zabaleta, who joined the club after a trophy-laden spell at Manchester City, is at the end of his career and cannot be considered an option for the first team anymore.
The Argentine is set to leave the club, which leaves West Ham with just Ryan Fredericks as the right-back option, who hasn’t yet convinced that he is good enough for a Premier League side that has ambitions to challenge for the top 8.
Midfield has been woefully short of depth and the over-reliance on the talented but young Declan Rice has meant that the defence has been protected poorly and the Hammers have repeatedly relinquished control of the midfield area against most teams.
Mark Noble is in the twilight of his career and has not been able to shoulder too much responsibility and his shortcomings have been amplified due to the horrendous form shown by the other options when they have managed to stay fit.
West Ham need a defensive midfielder, irrespective of whether Declan Rice remains at the club in the coming seasons. They need a solid midfield operator who can keep things ticking and aid or partner Rice in fortifying the centre of the pitch. Solidifying the base will then make it easier for the management to tend to other areas of the pitch and make the unit a balanced one.
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