OPINION
It is clear that there is no winner in the battle between West Ham United left backs Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell this season – Manuel Pellegrini doesn’t fancy either of them.
It’s imperative, then, that the Hammers boss moves to rectify the position in January, and a swoop for Swansea City left back Martin Olsson would be the ideal tonic for the Chilean – not to mention the sort of understated signing which could get east London roaring him on.
The Sweden international has been performing to a high level in the Premier League for what feels like decades, but he’s still only 30 years old. This is a man with several seasons left at the top, and he could be the perfect experienced presence on the left for West Ham.
Olsson has shown with Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and Swansea that he is a starting calibre full back in the top flight. He can do a bit of everything, and regularly contributes going forward alongside his defensive duties.
The main gripe most Hammers fans have with Masuaku is that he’s not good enough defensively. Not so with Olsson, who has the pace and tenacity to cope with most wingers.
Cresswell, it seems, has lost the fire that made him such a success in his first couple of seasons in East London, but the same cannot be said for Olsson who has shown no signs of decline despite reaching the tail end of his career.
He’s been a key player for the Swans under Graham Potter this campaign, playing 12 times as the Welsh side have battled their way to eighth in the table.
The Swede is too good for the Championship, though, plus, with his contract set to expire in the summer [Source: Transfermarkt] West Ham could pick him up for next to nothing in January and ensure they have a quality left back in place for the rest of the season.
If there is one position that the Hammers need to sort in the winter transfer window it is certainly left back. A move for Olsson would more than solve what has been a problem position for Pellegrini this term, and the fact he would potentially be a bargain will have the fans applauding the club until the end of the season.