Nayef Aguerd likely to make first Premier League start for West Ham v Arsenal on Boxing Day
Nayef Aguerd is likely to make his first start in the Premier League for West Ham against Arsenal in the Boxing Day fixture, according to The Atheltic.
Kurt Zouma has picked up a knee injury and has undergone surgery this month. There has been no timeframe given for the Frenchman’s return, and Aguerd is in line to start (unless he picks up another injury) against the Gunners.
Aguerd is currently participating in the World Cup for Morocco. He was outstanding against Belgium on Sunday (27 November) and helped his side win 2-0.
Do West Ham need a new defender?
It will be interesting to see if the Hammers sign a new defender in the January transfer window.
Despite the injury to Zouma, the Hammers boss still has got plenty of options with him.
He can rely on Thilo Kehrer, Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna, and Aguerd in defence.
However, that are issues that need to be solved. Dawson has been planning to move away from the club to stay close to his family, and there’s a high chance that he could be granted his wish.
Ogbonna has only managed 25 minutes of Premier League action thus far, and it’s unclear whether he will play any prominent role in the second half of the campaign.
As a result, long-term replacements are needed for both Ogbonna and Dawson and the club could be forced to delve into the transfer market in January.
Aguerd was hailed as “phenomenal” for his performance against Belgium by award-winning journalist, Lorenz Kohler, who works for IDiskitimes, and David Moyes will hope that he can deliver his best for the Hammers as well.