West Ham United are ‘actively trying’ to sign three players before September’s transfer deadline, according to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor.
The Lowdown: Poor start
Although David Moyes has welcomed six permanent additions to the London Stadium this summer, the Hammers remain keen on bringing in a number of new players as the club look to prepare for a busy season, with both the Premier League and a potential Europa Conference League group stage campaign at hand.
Of the new additions, only Thilo Kehrer has featured in the Iron’ starting XI in the league so far this term, with the others making brief cameos coming off the bench.
However, with three defeats in their opening three top-flight fixtures, Moyes clearly needs to change something, with the east Londoners currently bottom of the Premier League table.
The Latest: Taylor’s news
Taylor has shared details of three deals that West Ham are hoping to get over the line before the window closes, although he claims that owners GSB are struggling to make substantial progress in the market.
The Irons are currently working on moves for two centre-backs in Spezia’s Jakub Kiwior and Fenerbahçe’s Attila Szalai, in addition to Club Brugge midfielder Hans Vanaken.
Speaking with GiveMeSport, the reliable journalist stated: “I think Kiwior, Szalai, and Vanaken are ones that West Ham are actively trying to do at the moment. But the kind of situation with West Ham at the moment seems to be they’re not really making any progress on a number of deals.
“We saw the Emerson deal initially collapse, and the Club Brugge lad [Vanaken] seems to be sort of being held in Belgium at the moment, in terms of they don’t want him to go.”
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The Verdict: Need to avoid another injury crisis
Whilst undertaking a busy schedule in the Europa League last season, the Hammers’ lack of depth really came to the fore when they suffered a defensive crisis in the run-up to their semi-final clash against Eintracht Frankfurt.
With Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma already unavailable, Issa Diop sustained an ankle injury, leaving Craig Dawson as Moyes’ only fit centre-back to face the eventual tournament winners.
Other areas of the pitch were also affected towards the end of the campaign, with fatigue visibly evident throughout the team as they dropped to seventh in the Premier League for a finish.
Therefore, with eight departures already confirmed this summer, three further additions to Moyes’ squad would help to alleviate the lack of depth currently inhibiting West Ham (they currently have the smallest player pick in the top flight) as they seek to turn a corner after their awful start to the domestic campaign.