West Ham January transfer dossier: Allardyce looks for Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate back-ups
The Hammers are proving to be the revelation of the Premier League – alongside Southampton – after an excellent summer transfer window.
Following a struggling last campaign, Allardyce's signings have changed both the style of the team and the target. While last season they battled for the relegation with a defensive approach, the East London side are now challenging for the Champions League spot despite the recent defeats against Chelsea and Arsenal.
What they need:
With things going smoothly for West Ham, the best advice would be not to change anything. However, with Mauro Zarate set to join QPR and with Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate expected to play the Africa Cup of Nations next month - which runs from January 17 to February 8 – Allardyce needs to cope with their absences somehow.
Alex Song will finally not make the same trip, but considering Sakho and Kouyaté have been crucial in the impressive start to the campaign, Allardyce is open to new additions.
So, even though Andy Carroll's excelling return to action have added enough goals to cope without Sakho up front, the boss is open to bolster both the attack and the midfield.
Who could join:
The Hammers are expected to sign Canada international centre-back Doneil Henry from Cypriot club Apollon Limassol for around £1.5m. He was recommended to Allardyce by his former captain at Blackburn Rovers, Ryan Nelsen, who coached the 21-year-old star at Toronto.
Who could leave:
Mauro Zarate is set to complete his move to QPR while Ravel Morrison can follow in his footsteps in a last attempt to resurrect his career. Even though the former Manchester United talent enjoyed a promising start at Upton Park, he eventually failed to make the impact expected at East London. He was also unable to prove his worth during his loan spell at Cardiff.
Furthermore, Matt Jarvis and Ricardo Vaz Te may also leave the team after falling out of favour.
Meanwhile, Winston Reid is said to have attracted the attention of some of the big teams, but Allardyce recently claimed he would rather let the centre-back leave for nothing next summer than sell him in January.
What the manager has said:
Sam Allardyce has targeted a top signing in the January transfer window but is aware of the club's troubles regarding the Financial Fair Play regulations.
"Everybody has to understand we are well into the second year of FFP so we are all in a much more difficult position when every window comes, with the limit on spending power, not just transfer fees but wages. And that's across the board now.
"So I'd say one top player, if he became available, would be something we'd pursue - but someone may have to leave to fund that. There's no point in bringing in anybody less than a top player because what we've got now is top drawer at the minute. We've got 22 players all fighting for places in the team and playing really, really well."
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