According to reports from The Sun, Slaven Bilic is preparing a clear-out for the January transfer window – as West Ham face the prospect of an unwelcome relegation battle.
What’s the word?
Safe to say, the move to the London Stadium hasn’t panned out as envisaged. It was meant to usher in a new era at West Ham, especially after the dizzying heights of last season, but the Irons were eliminated from the Europa League at the hands of Astra Giurgiu and are now just a point above the relegation zone in the Premier League.
And the pressure on the Hammers is unlikely to relent anytime soon; they’re facing a dreaded run of fixtures in the Premier League, starting with a difficult trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and followed by meetings with Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Accordingly, it seems inevitable West Ham will slip into the relegation zone at some point over the next few weeks, even if it’s only temporarily, but The Sun claim Slaven Bilic is already planning to arrest his side’s stuttered start to the campaign with a January clear-out.
Who’s on the chopping block?
The majority of the article centres around Bilic’s intentions to axe summer addition Alvaro Arbeloa, who was signed as a free agent on deadline day after leaving Real Madrid at the end of last season. The Spain international offers World Cup and Champions League-winning pedigree and is still just 33 years of age, but that talent hasn’t exactly shone through in east London, with Arbeloa’s only Premier League start of the season coming in a 3-0 home defeat to Southampton.
It speaks volumes that the former Liverpool man’s barely featured despite the Hammers lacking a first-choice right-back, and even when he has, he’s been asked to fill in on the opposite side of defence. The Sun quote an anonymous insider as saying; “It’s true that Arbeloa would be allowed to move on, if a club comes in for him.”
Anyone else?
With significantly less evidence or detail, The Sun claim West Ham are also hoping to dump loaned-in duo Simone Zaza and Gokhan Tore in January – although hinting the Hammers may face a few stumbling blocks due to the agreements they made to sign both players during the summer.
Such news probably won’t come as a surprise to Irons supporters. Tore has been woefully short of the required standard, managing just three starts in the Premier League, whilst Zaza has already proved he’s not the answer to the club’s striker problems – still yet to find the net for his adoptive side. Copious sources have claimed West Ham are determined to cut his loan deal short rather than trigger a £20million permanent move clause, including ESPN.
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