OPINION
West Ham United’s biggest bug-bear so far this season has been the left-back position, which manager Manuel Pellegrini has struggled to find a solution for.
Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell have alternated between being first choice and back up on the left hand side of the defence, with neither man staking a claim for a first team role long-term.
Neither players’ performances have been good enough to suggest that they are the answer at the position, meaning that a January move for Leicester City left back Christian Fuchs could be a good idea for Pellegrini.
The former Premier League winner has been a peripheral figure at the King Power Stadium this season, making both his appearances for the campaign in the Carabao Cup.
He has yet to play a minute of league action for the Foxes, as England international Ben Chilwell has commandeered the left back slot for himself.
While Fuchs clearly is not at the peak of his powers at the moment, he has still shown enough in the past to suggest that he’s a better bet than Masuaku or Cresswell.
Many people thought that Pablo Zabaleta was over the hill when the Hammers signed him in 2017, but the Argentinian has gone on to become one of the team’s most important players.
The same thing could happen with Fuchs. He made 29 appearances for Leicester last season, so it’s not as if he has suddenly dropped off a cliff.
He can still contribute at Premier League level, plus his contract is set to expire at the end of the season [Source: Spotrac] so he’d be available for peanuts in January.
It’s a short term move that would allow the Hammers to enter the second half of the season with a solid Premier League level left back, something that they have clearly been missing so far this campaign.
