OPINION
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has a lot to think about as we slowly head towards the January transfer window.
The Hammers had a disastrous start to the season before a mini revival saw them take seven points from three games, but that has now been stopped in its tracks with two consecutive defeats.
The Chilean is also having to deal with a series of injury problems which are threatening to derail their season, with Andriy Yarmolenko joining the list of absentees with an Achilles rupture which is likely to put him out for the season.
That list currently includes Jack Wilshere, Manuel Lanzini, Winston Reid, Pedro Obiang, Carlos Sanchez and Andy Carroll, with some of those remaining long-term problems.
The majority of those injuries are in midfield, with Wilshere, Lanzini, Obiang and Sanchez all out, and Pellegrini will no doubt be looking at potential targets in that area in January.
According to Claret and Hugh, he could potentially offer Joao Mario a return to the club from Inter Milan, where he is yet to play a single minute this season.
While there will be many fans who are keen to see this happen, with Mario endearing himself to the Hammers faithful with some industrious displays on loan last term, this is not the answer for the club in January.
Mario is a good player, there is no doubt about that, but he is not the kind of player which the Hammers need to bring in mid-season.
The 5ft 10in ace [Transfermarkt] would occupy an attacking midfield position behind the strikers, but would likely have to contend with a returning Lanzini, who will inevitably slot straight in when fit.
And, in the 4-1-4-1 system which Pellegrini has tended to play this season, that role can be filled with any number of players in the Hammers squad already, meaning Mario would likely rot on the bench just as he is doing at Inter.
The main areas of concern for the club at the moment are striker and left-back, and those must be the two priorities in January.
A move for Mario must therefore be binned until further notice, with Pellegrini simply wasting time if he pursues a deal, with Inter sure to be difficult about price.
