West Ham are fighting to avoid relegationplaceholder image
West Ham are fighting to avoid relegation | AFP via Getty Images
West Ham are preparing for a season-defining transfer window as Nuno Espirito Santo aims to rescue the club from relegation
West Ham United face a make or break January transfer window which could play a pivotal role in deciding the club’s Premier League survival fate.
The Hammers enter Christmas 18th in the table, five points adrift of safety and are yet to see any kind of new manager bounce from Nuno Espirito Santo after replacing Graham Potter.
They’ve so far won just two games under the Portuguese and are now without a league victory in six matches while teams around them such as Leeds United and Nottingham Forest continue to improve.
West Ham have been in the relegation zone at Christmas on five previous occasions, but can take heart from the fact they avoided the drop both times they were not bottom of the table - in 2006-07 and 2009-10. However, it’s going to take an almighty effort from Nuno and is team to keep their 14-year status as a top-flight club intact.
Why are West Ham struggling to so much this season?
West Ham have been on a downwards slide since allowing David Moyes to leave at the end of the 2023/24 season after a ninth place finish. Moyes guided the Hammers to Europe in three consecutive campaigns during his time with the club, won the Conference League to end a 43-year wait for silverware, and also reached the semi-final and the quarter-final of the Europa League in the years before and after that historic night in Prague.
Things weren’t always perfect under Moyes, but for most of his tenure it was fair to say that West Ham were a real goal threat which is something they really lack at the moment while also struggling to keep goals out at the other end.
West Ham are the joint third lowest scorers this term with 19 goals while their defensive record of conceding 35 is the second worst in the division and only marginally better than a Wolves team that are still to win a league match.
To summarise West Ham have weaknesses across the pitch but the main issue that currently seems to be stopping them from picking up points is their alarming lack of creativity which is something they desperately need to rectify in the coming months.
West Ham's first January signing should be obvious
West Ham need to refresh their options in the final third of the pitch if they are to avoid being relegated to the Championship. One option the club could look at to try and save their Premier League status is Arsenal wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri.
Nwaneri is yet to start a Premier League match all season while he’s only been included in the lineup for one Champions League match. He’s been involved in just 165 minutes of top-flight football this year despite Martin Odegaard’s injury earlier in the year, and is unlikely to feature ahead of the skipper or big summer signing Eberechi Eze at this moment in time.
The 18-year-old is still in the early years of his development as a professional footballer, but has proven that he’s more than capable of coping with the demands of top-flight football when being given the opportunity.
Nwaneri, who has been previously described as ‘calm and composed’ by Mikel Arteta, has racked up 50 appearances across his career at Arsenal, scoring 10 goals and contributing two assists, which is very impressive bearing in mind the majority of those games have come as a substitute.
He’s also won the European Championships with England at Under-21 level and is capable of thriving in a number of different areas of the pitch such as the right-wing an central-attacking midfield position.
Nwaneri is a player that could add flair and creativity to a West Ham team lacking quality in the final third of the pitch. In February against Leicester, he became the youngest player on record (since 2003/04) to complete five or more dribbles and assist a goal in a Premier League match.
“Every time he was on the ball he made things happen. He had another level of threat than the rest of the team,” said Arteta after the match.
The teenager has ambitions of breaking into the England setup and in the long-run is likely to be a key player for Arsenal, but at the time being he’s very much a squad player and someone that could develop at a much greater rate by making a loan move to West Ham where he’d instantly become a key player for a club fighting to survive in the top-flight.
West Ham have a number of huge decisions to make if they are to avoid relegation, but bringing in Nwaneri could be a real strong step in the right direction.
Continue Reading