With the Premier League well underway, one of the stories of the season has been the impressive form of West Ham United.
After a 3-2 victory over Liverpool, the London side finds itself only three points off first place. This run has put them into title contention, but the question remains whether or not they can keep up their strong start.
West Ham battling with the best of the Premier League
Under David Moyes, this squad has managed to contend with the top teams in the league.
Declan Rice has continued to show why he is the best young midfielder in the Premier League, while Michail Antonio and Pablo Fornals have provided a scoring threat with 6 and 4 league goals, respectively.
Besides them, Said Benrahma, Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek are having fantastic all-around seasons.
Squad depth remains an issue for Moyes
However, the depth of the squad remains a question mark, especially with the loss of veteran defender Angelo Ogbonna to an ACL injury. They also have no true backup striker behind Antonio.
Considering the depth of other top teams like Chelsea and Manchester City, this could stifle their chances as the season progresses and fatigue plus injuries become bigger problems.
The talent certainly is there for the Hammers, but in order to stay competitive in both the Europa League and the Premier League, they need to look to the January transfer window to solidify the squad.
Smiles everywhere you look 🙌 pic.twitter.com/fStBAPpma8
— West Ham United (@WestHam) November 12, 2021
Players West Ham should consider looking at during the January transfer window
Two players they should look at are Burnley defender James Tarkowski and Hellas Verona striker Giovanni Simeone.
Tarkowski has proven he is a solid player in the Premier League, having made nearly 200 appearances with Burnley. He is a reliable center back, and with his contract set to expire this summer, Burnley could be looking to move him on.
He would pair well with summer signing Kurt Zouma to form a reliable tandem in the absence of Ogbonna. The London side also had a £30m bid rejected a year ago for the Claret CB.
Simeone, the son of Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, could be a more ambitious signing, but his addition could take this squad to the next level. With Michail Antonio’s history of injury, a solid backup is a necessity, especially if the Hammers are competing in multiple competitions.
The striker is in the form of his life, with 9 goals through 11 games in Serie A. He could relieve some of the pressure off of the Jamaican striker, and could also provide another threat in the attack.
Conclusion on West Ham’s chances this season
This season has the potential to be a truly special one at London Stadium. While it remains to be seen whether or not the Hammers can keep up with the riches of Chelsea and Manchester City all season, they are in an early position to succeed.
With these two additions, they could pose a serious threat to the top four, and maybe even more.