OPINION
West Ham have been defensively vulnerability in their opening four league games of the 2018/19 season and swooping for Chelsea defender Gary Cahill in January could fix their problems.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side have conceded 11 goals in their first five games across all competitions and it’s clear that the defence is a weakness for the club currently.
The Hammers also struggled defensively last season, so while Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena showed signs against Wolves that they could aid their side’s quest for clean sheets in the heart of defence it’s clear Pellegrini would benefit from having a more proven Premier League performer to call upon.
This is the case even though experienced defender Winston Reid is due to return just after Christmas, as stated by Claret & Hugh, as the 30-year-old will take time to get back up to speed and can’t be relied upon to stay fit based on his recent injury record.
The Hammers should look no further than Cahill in their hunt for a solution to solve their problems in January.
According to The Sun the 32-year-old is currently frustrated with life at Stamford Bridge after not featuring this season and is ready to quit the club in January if the situation doesn’t change.
The newspaper claimed that Cahill is hoping his loyalty to the Blues will see the club agree to cut him loose in the new year in order to join a Premier League rival.
The centre-back, who earns £100,000-a-week at Chelsea (Source: Spotrac), would be the perfect defender to help the Hammers fix their defensive weaknesses.
Cahill is a proven Premier League performer after playing 342 times in England’s top-flight and knows all about how to attain clean sheets in this division.
The 32-year-old’s toughness in the tackle, experience and composure on the ball will help make the Hammers a more solid unit at the back and his leadership qualities could help Balbuena and Diop get to grips with England’s top-flight must quicker.
Therefore the Hammers must fix their current weakness in their team by swooping in January for the reportedly frustrated Cahill.
