OPINION
West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini will have to make his moves count in the January transfer window, with there unlikely to be huge funds available for him to splash out.
The club’s near-£100million outlay in the summer is sure to mean that the Chilean has just a small pot to work with in the upcoming market, with his squad in need of a couple of reinforcements.
The most glaring issue with his team at the moment is at left-back, but striker is also a concern with Marko Arnautovic bearing a huge amount of responsibility at the moment.
The Austria international is basically the Hammers’ only constant goal threat, and if they want to make any real progress this season that cannot be the case for much longer.
A move for another forward in January therefore makes sense, and while those limited funds will make Pellegrini’s job harder, there are some bargains around which he should take a look at.
One of those potential steals is Liverpool outcast Divock Origi, who is being chased by Wolves and Galatasaray, according to ESPN.
The deals that have been touted for the 23-year-old are mostly loans, with the Reds previously demanding a ridiculous £20million-plus for the rarely-seen Belgium international.
A loan however works perfectly for the Hammers, with Origi able to come in and help out for six months before possibly earning a permanent switch in the summer.
While many fans will immediately scoff at the thought of signing Origi after a torrid two seasons, he is an extremely talented player who merely needs the right environment to flourish.
It is easy to forget that Origi arrived at Liverpool as a 20-year-old and bagged 10 goals in his first season before managing 11 in the next campaign.
That kind of output would be perfect for the Hammers as a supplement to Arnautovic, while Origi also has the added quality of being able to play in wide areas.
With Michail Antonio a potential departure in January, Origi would therefore be able to come in and fill in two roles which would need bolstering.
And, under the watchful eye of Pellegrini, there is no reason why Origi could not blossom into a force in the Premier League once again.
All in all this is a move which makes perfect sense for the Hammers, who could pull off a blinder if they get the best out of Origi once again.