OPINION
West Ham United were undoubtedly not planning on doing any transfer business in January based on the money they spent in the summer.
However, one of their players could be heading in the opposite direction, as the Hammers are ready to agree the terms that would allow midfielder Josh Cullen to seal a permanent exit to his current loan club Charlton Athletic (source: Claret and Hugh).
Cullen has never been a prominent presence in the West Ham team, so sealing his permanent transfer would be a smart move by boss Manuel Pellegrini.
It is safe to say that he is rather content with the midfielders that he has on board at the moment – the trio of Mark Noble, Pedro Obiang and Declan Rice have not been doing too badly – so keeping the young ace on would essentially be pointless.
Getting rid of Cullen on a permanent basis could be the best bit of transfer business that Pellegrini conducts in January.
Unfortunately, the 22-year-old has not made the impact he would have liked to, and by the looks of things, he was not going to be given any game time in the near future.
Moving to Charlton permanently is the best thing he could do in order to avoid hampering his progress, and Pellegrini certainly will not miss him.
The Irons do not need him at the club, as there are a whole host of midfielders who are ahead of him in the pecking order at the London Stadium.
He simply does not fit into West Ham’s style of play anymore, which is why sealing a permanent transfer would be a masterstroke by Pellegrini.
The Chilean must ensure that Cullen does not make a return to the club by agreeing terms with Charlton sooner rather than later.