West Ham get their man in Sebastien Haller, now what?

The big target has been landed for West Ham in the signing of Sebastien Haller. The surprise target has been landed in Pablo Fornals. What is next for West Ham with a few weeks left in the summer transfer window?

There are three positions that are left for West Ham to consider more options in as the transfer window rapidly comes to a close: left-back, midfield, and striker.

Left-back:

Apparently not an area of need according to manager Manuel Pellegrini, West Ham have a pending disaster on their hands at left-back. The left side has belonged to Aaron Cresswell for the last few seasons but the attacking-minded Arthur Masuaku has played more over the past two seasons and has stepped up in Cresswell’s absence.

The absence(s) is due to health issues for Cresswell. The 29-year-old Englishman missed eleven matches last season due to sporadic injuries, including a five-game streak to end the season. As mentioned, Masuaku has filled in well, but he isn’t a defender and the shallowness of options on the left side makes West Ham weak.

A name that has been floated around is Fenerbahce captain Hasan Ali Kaldirim. While relatively cheap and seemingly effective, Kaldirim is aging at 29 and wouldn’t help with the English player quota needed. Perhaps a young Championship player would be better suited to join.

Midfield:

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Pedro Obiang is believed to be on his way back to Italy with a rumored bid from Sassuolo of Serie A which would leave a hole in West Ham’s defensive midfield. A bigger issue would be Carlos Sanchez being on the roster come the start of the season, as the aging Colombian looks a step or two (or three…or four) behind.

For me, the Hammers need a player who can relieve Rice to end games, replace him in cup games, push him for minutes, and also alleviate the pressure on Mark Noble in the team. This player is the earlier linked to Newcastle player, Isaac Hayden.

The English defensive midfielder has solid stats last season, fills the homegrown quota, and is a young player who can grow in the team. His desire to play and live more southern than Newcastle (for family reasons) is also well documented, and London meets this requirement. Would Ashley sell, though, without a new manager in?

Striker:

Lastly, we see the need for some striker depth despite the signing of Sebastien Haller and the keeping of Javier Hernandez. These two will soak up the lion’s share of minutes at center-forward, but injury happens and so to do cup matches where first-team players need a rest. Two streams of thought come to mind here: proven free agent or risky youth buy.

Senior options are pretty straight forward. Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge is an injury-prone player who can be a world-beater on his day. At 29-years-old, Sturridge could be persuaded to step into a mentorship role at the club and play sparingly to preserve his health.

The other option is another sicknote in Danny Welbeck. The now ex-Arsenal player is looking for a club and his versatility on the wing could make him an attractive option. A year younger than Sturridge, Welbeck brings the same senior, winning mentality that the Liverpool man has to offer as well as international experience as well. A move across town, rather than country, could make the Hammers desirable, too.

*forget about Balotelli

Youth options start with Neal Maupay of Brentford. West Ham’s interest in him is well documented, and with a deal to Sheffield United seemingly dead, the Hammers could circle back. The fee rumored to be around £15m could be a stumbling block after the Haller signing, but you never know. Oliver McBurnie, the 23-year-old Scottish/English striker could also be attractive at a much lesser fee. As well,

Next. Haller is a massive haul, but there is still work to be done for Irons. dark

We know the target list is long and winding so my faith is in the manager to get his team in shape. I would expect a few sellings to follow Sam Byram out the door first, however, as incumbent players need funds raised now.