West Ham January switch briefing: who’re they after, what do they want and who may go away?

West Ham splashed £120million on seven new players last summer, and yet five months later they already need reinforcements.

Injuries, age, a betting probe and a car crash have held back the squad already this term, to the point it is a bit of a surprise to see them flying as high as 13th – a point and a place above Manchester United, and level with Tottenham.

Of this season’s recruits, £15m buy Aaron Wan-Bissaka has probably shone the brightest, while Max Kilman has impressed but also has a £40m price tag to live up to.

But any transfer dealings may need to be put on hold with manager Julen Lopetegui under so much pressure, as any new head coach would likely want to have their say.

So what can West Ham fans expect this January? Here, as part of our transfer briefing series looking at Premier League clubs ahead of the transfer window, our West Ham expert James Sharpe answers the five key questions at the London Stadium.

What do West Ham need?

What don’t they need?! Their first-choice keeper Lukasz Fabianski is nearly 40, they have a playmaker in Lucas Paqueta who could face a substantial ban for match-fixing in a few months, three of their four full backs are in their 30s and their main striker remains in hospital after a car crash that will likely see him ruled out for a year, and could well end his career.

West Ham would like another central midfielder, a couple of full backs and a winger but their priority is a top striker. Not just because of Michail Antonio’s horror crash, but with £27m summer signing Niclas Fullkrug still to set the world alight and suffering with injury and Danny Ings being past his prime but, as someone close to the West Ham transfer dealings told Mail Sport, top strikers ‘are not easy to find’.

Do they have money to spend?

No, not unless they sell. After the big spend in the summer, sources have told Mail Sport that the club will need to sell players before they buy to make sure they stay in line with Premier League profit and sustainability rules.

So, that leaves the club in a much weaker position knowing that they will have to drum up interest in their own players to bring anyone in.

For this reason, it’s expected to be a relatively quiet January transfer window for Lopetegui and West Ham.

Which players are they interested in?

The Hammers technical director Tim Steidten will lead the way when it comes to potential signings. The club have looked at Freiburg keeper Noah Atubolu before as they search for a long-term replacement for Fabianski.

They have also considered Brazil striker Yuri Alberto while Middlesbrough frontman Emmanuel Latte Lath, who has nine goals in the Championship this season, has also been linked.

Brighton striker Evan Ferguson has also been rumoured as a potential loan target, though the Republic of Ireland striker spurned a golden chance at the London Stadium in front of co-owner David Sullivan last Saturday.

One of their key interests is in making Carlos Soler’s move permanent. He’s currently on loan from Paris Saint-Germain and the club have an option to sign him for £25m in the summer. Talks are expected to begin but Soler is currently on huge wages at PSG that West Ham simply cannot afford.

Who might leave?

Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City have all been linked with a move for Hammers winger Mohammed Kudus, though it is expected the club would only accept eye-watering sums close to £100m for him with an £85m release clause set to become active in the summer so it is much more likely he remains at the club for the rest of the season.

There were reports centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo wanted to leave after Mail Sport revealed his half-time bust-up with Lopetegui during the defeat to Arsenal but the defender, who signed on loan with an obligation to buy in the summer if the Hammers avoid relegation, took to Instagram recently to respond to a fan’s question about his future by saying: ‘I’m not gonna leave big man, West Ham are massive! Don’t believe the media.’

Paqueta poured fuel on the fires of recent speculation about a return to hometown club Flamengo with a cryptic tweet of song lyrics to a Brazilian gospel song entitled ‘Come Get Me’ that translated as ‘I’m not from here, I will return home, he comes to get me and with him I will go’ yet celebrated his goal against Bournemouth by kissing the West Ham badge and running to embrace Lopetegui. It is unlikely anything will happen with his future until his match-fixing investigation has concluded.

The most likely players to leave are centre-back Luizao, who could return to Brazil, and Argentinian midfielder Guido Rodriguez, who signed on a free transfer from Real Betis in the summer and started many of the early-season games but has since fallen down the pecking order and could free up a bit of cash.

What unexpected moves should fans keep an eye on?

West Ham have made a habit of signing fading out-of-favour big names from big clubs on loan in recent January windows. Think Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City and Jesse Lingard from Manchester United.

Can we think of anyone else who might fit that bill in recent weeks…oh yeah, Marcus Rashford, perhaps? West Ham do want a winger after all…

His current wages would be far too high for the Hammers so it’s more likely the club could make a loan move for someone like Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka, who can play in both central midfield and on the wing, and has been told by Enzo Maresca he can find a club in January.