Tony Cottee sends West Ham transfer message
Tony Cottee has told West Ham to invest in the January transfer market or they could slip down the league.
Speaking to talkSPORT [18 December], the former Irons forward also desperately wants to see Jesse Lingard back at the London Stadium.
He also thinks that the Hammers need to sign a centre-back and can’t end January without one.
He said: “I think he will go into the market; I’d like to see someone like Jesse Lingard, for example – who was fabulous last year – get him back at the club and look at other options as well.
“They will need to buy a centre-half because they’re really struggling with [Angelo] Ogbonna out and [Kurt] Zouma out for long spells, so they’ve got to go into the market, but he will buy sensibly.”
Cottee knows what the Irons need.
If the Hammers ended January with a good centre-back and Lingard, that would have to go down as a successful window.
The arrival of the England international last season saw the Irons really kick on and finish sixth.
Now, he isn’t a striker, but he added a new dimension, and it would be fantastic to see that happen again this season to help the Hammers compete on possibly four fronts.
The addition of a centre-back is probably vital because, without both Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna, David Moyes has two first-team centre-backs.
Both Issa Diop and Craig Dawson are good, so that isn’t the problem, but if one of those were to get injured, Moyes would be forced to either play Declan Rice in defence or use a youngster.
So, a new centre-back has to arrive in January, and with Daniel Kretinsky’s extra investment, you would have to hope the Irons provide Moyes with the support he needs.
In other West Ham news, Cottee has had his say on Michail Antonio’s recent struggles in front of goal.
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