Moyes hints at quiet January for West Ham despite want for new defender
West Ham manager David Moyes doesn’t expect to see many, if any, new faces at the London Stadium in January.
The Hammers have been linked to a number of central defenders with their current injury crisis leaving numbers few and far between at the back.
But despite the board’s keenness to back the Scot, incomings early in January shouldn’t be expected.
“I’d love to say yes. Do we want to act? Yes we do. Are we ready to act? Probably not,” Moyes said, as quoted by the Evening Standard.
“That is not to do with resources but it’s to do with availability, generally it looks like a difficult market. We say that every year but it feels that way.
“All I would say is that our last few January windows have seen us get [Tomas] Soucek, [Jarrod] Bowen and Jesse Lingard so if I could get anybody that would give us that level of success during the January window it would be seen as a positive.”
Worrying Lack of Movement
With Angelo Ogbonna out injured long term and Kurt Zouma still a month away from a return, central defenders are sparse at the London Stadium.
Craig Dawson and Issa Diop have filled the void in recent weeks but with games coming thick and fast, alternative options could become crucial to West Ham’s challenge in all competitions.
The Irons have already been linked with players such as Nathaniel Phillips at Liverpool and Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly but their pursuit of the Cherries defender could be over with big money wanted by the Championship club.
There has been no sign of movement yet from the club with the transfer window less than 24 hours from opening as Moyes has reportedly not provided the board with a list of targets.
With most Premier League clubs likely to make moves over the next month, there is a concern that the Hammers standing still could see the drop down the League somewhat s other teams around them improve.
In other West Ham news, these Hammers have been selected in a BBC pundit’s Team of the Year.