West Ham are targeting signing at least one striker, one midfielder and one defender in January as they seek to turn their fortunes around this season.
West Ham have lost six of their eight Premier League games and sit second bottom ahead of a crucial game at Leeds United on Friday Night Football.
A lack of pace in midfield and up front, as well as problems at the back, have been identified as major issues.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from West Ham’s match against Brentford in the Premier League.
However, it will be difficult to sign the players West Ham need because quality players are in short supply in January and only a few would be willing to move to a club who could potentially be fighting relegation.
Any players willing to make the move would also have to take into account the fact that relegation would lead to a cut in wages of up to 50 per cent.
Nuno Espirito Santo is believed to have received confirmation that funds would be available to strengthen the squad in January.
Monday night’s 2-0 defeat to Brentford was Nuno’s first home game in charge and he can be under no illusions about how tough things are likely to get this season, starting with Leeds at Elland Road.
West Ham appointed Nuno to replace Graham Potter last month despite the fact that his counter-attacking style of play is not suited to the players in his squad.
Nuno’s template is to have a solid defence and midfield with forwards who can attack with pace. West Ham currently have the worst defence in the league after conceding 18 times in eight games.
Their points total of four is believed to be about a quarter of what had been expected at this stage of the season.
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Jamie Carragher and Gary O’Neil review the problems at West Ham after losing to Brentford, where many fans boycotted the game over the club’s ownership
Nuno made five changes to his starting line-up last night, in part because he wanted to see what options he had available after working with the players during the international break.
Although West Ham have spent big money in recent transfer windows, there is an acceptance that their recruitment needs to improve significantly in January.
Unless West Ham’s fortunes improve on the pitch and in the transfer market in January, there is a real risk that they will be relegated for the first time since 2011.
If they become detached from safety, it will make it even more difficult to recruit the players they need in January.
Watch Leeds vs West Ham on Friday Night Football, kick-off 8pm
