West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini is looking to solve a problem position by signing a left back in January, according to Claret & Hugh.
The reliable Hammers news source claims that the Chilean is looking to bring in a new left back in the winter transfer window, as well as another striker.
That’s despite the club having tied left backs Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku down to long-term contracts since the end of last season.
Likewise, the club brought in Sebastien Haller and Albian Ajeti last summer, yet are still seemingly targeting a new attacker.
OPINION
This report is a bit of an indictment on West Ham’s summer transfer window. They did some good things in regards to getting rid of the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Lucas Perez, but they erred by not addressing the left back issue. They also let too many strikers depart while not bringing enough in. Arnautovic, Perez, Andy Carroll and Javier Hernandez all left over the summer, but only Haller and Ajeti arrived. With Pellegrini seemingly unconvinced by the latter, it’s becoming a bit dire up front for the Hammers. However, it’s left back that has been a problem position for the last couple of years now. Pellegrini chopped and changed Cresswell and Masuaku throughout the last campaign, yet he didn’t sign a new left back in the summer and even gave both men new contracts. Now he’s seen the error of his ways and is looking to solve the problem once and for all. Still, whether he’ll be able to get a superior option mid-way through the season remains to be seen.