Do these Hammers deserve new contracts?

It is always important to have strength in depth when trying to be a competitive team.

With the demands of a Premier League season, along with two-cup competitions, and the inevitable injuries, Sam Allardyce needs options in every position.

But there is currently dead wood in the West Ham squad, and looking ahead to next summer, a number of players reaching the end of their contract are likely to get the chop.

Many expect Allardyce of offload up to three strikers even as soon as January, in the form of Carlton Cole, Mladen Petrić and Modibo Maïga, to free space for at least one quality replacement.

And although there may have been signs against Fulham that the contract uncertainty for some could finally be a motivating factor, there remains a list of players who are out of contract at the end of the season who will need performances to secure new deals.

Jussi Jääskeläinen has done everything asked of him since taking over as the first choice goalkeeper and a few recent slips are not enough to dispel the fact he is a solid professional, and worth well keeping around.

The return of Joe Cole was heralded as a great homecoming, but he has failed to hit any real form regularly enough. Allardyce has already said his contract would depend on fitness, so he appears to have time to prove himself. A fit Joe Cole is someone I would definitely still want in my team.

The injury issue is also likely to be a determining factor in the future of George McCartney and Răzvan Raţ. Both players have spent significant time on the sidelines already this season, and will need to prove themselves promptly.

Rat has appeared quality when he has played, and McCartney is always a solid performer. But with Dan Potts out gaining first team experience at Portsmouth, only one of the more senior players is likely to be retained in the left back position. I’d opt for Rat.

Ricardo Vaz Te continues to split opinion, and he can arguably do a job in the Premier League, but I would happily see him moved on to free wages for a better alternative.

And in terms of dead wood earning a wage at West Ham, Matt Taylor and Petrić are right down there as the driest, ring-wormed furniture there is. Neither have done anything to earn a stay, to prove they are worth top-flight salaries, and if they can be moved on in January, we will already be in a stronger position.

Allardyce stated in pre-season that this is well-balanced squad, and he is unlikely to go and make wholesale changes.

The youth team players coming through such as Leo Chambers, George Moncur, and Potts, should be looking to cover the first team squad, meaning just a few quality additions in a couple of positions should make the difference