OPINION
Whoever is appointed as the new West Ham boss will have a job on their hands as they look to improve on a dire season which has seen the club fight against relegation until the penultimate week of the season.
The area that needs most strengthening in the Hammers squad is midfield, with no two players managing to hold down a regular partnership in the centre of the park.
Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate were David Moyes’ preferred options in the closing months of the season, but the skipper was off form for much of the season and Kouyate looked disinterested on multiple occasions.
The Irons need to bring in a midfielder with Premier League experience this summer, someone who can come in and make an instant impact next season and really make the starting spot theirs.
One player who looks likely to be available is Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater, who has failed to establish himself in the Blues side since a £35million move from Leicester last summer.
Drinkwater has made just 22 appearances for the Blues since that transfer, with the vast majority of those coming as a substitute.
As previously reported by the Telegraph, Drinkwater is likely to leave Chelsea in the coming weeks, with the Hammers said to be willing to stump up £30million for the 28-year-old.
While the claim that David Gold and David Sullivan are ready to splash out £30million on Drinkwater is somewhat questionable, the thought here is spot on.
Drinkwater would be the perfect addition to the West Ham midfield, with his Premier League experience allowing him to slot straight in, probably alongside Noble.
The former Leicester midfield general is a brilliant all-round player, chipping in with defensive work and attacking play, and he would add a level of stability to the Hammers midfield.
His big-game experience with both Chelsea and Leicester will also be crucial as the Irons look to climb the table and secure a top-half finish next time round.
He will not come cheap, but his readiness and all-round game will see him be worth every penny, and West Ham must plot a swoop for him as soon as possible.
